by David McLimans & illustrated by David McLimans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2006
Using a combination of physical and digital media, McLimans offers 26 page-filling, dramatic letter forms in silhouette, each based on the shape of an endangered animal whose name starts with that letter, from “Chinese Alligator” to “Grevy’s Zebra.” Reminiscent of Roberto de Vicq de Cumptich’s Bembo’s Zoo (2000) as an impressive showcase in visual design, the letters artfully use both filled and empty space to evoke rather than accurately represent their living counterparts, and will likely be of greater interest to students of the graphic arts than to budding naturalists. The author does include very brief notes on each creature’s habitat, range, threats and official status, backed up by a closing comment and a multimedia resource list—but like Patricia Mullins’s V For Vanishing: An Alphabet of Endangered Animals (1993), this will be more useful to younger readers as a consciousness-raiser than an information source. (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-8027-9563-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Walker
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2006
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by David McLimans & illustrated by David McLimans
by Craig Smith ; illustrated by Katz Cowley ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2010
Hee haw.
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The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
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by Craig Smith ; illustrated by Katz Cowley
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by Doug MacLeod ; illustrated by Craig Smith
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by Adam Osterweil and illustrated by Craig Smith
by Alex Vern & illustrated by Alex Vern ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2001
The lifecycle of the frog is succinctly summarized in this easy reader for children reading at the late first-grade level. In just one or two sentences per page, Vern details the amazing metamorphosis of the frog from egg to tadpole to adult, even injecting a little humor despite the tight word count. (“Watch out fly! Mmmm!) Large, full-color photographs on white backgrounds clearly illustrate each phase of development. Without any mention of laying eggs or fertilization, the title might be a bit misleading, but the development from black dot egg to full-grown frog is fascinating. A simple chart of the three main lifecycle steps is also included. Lifecycles are part of the standard curriculum in the early elementary grades, and this will be a welcome addition to school and public libraries, both for its informational value and as an easy reader. (Nonfiction/easy reader. 5-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-15-216304-2
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Green Light/Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2001
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