The squabbles caused by a brief shower on a busy street turn to smiles under the ensuing rainbow in this picture-book mini-drama from the author of No, David! (1998). Plunked by the first few drops, some chickens squawk, exciting a cat whose yowls make a dog bark, which makes a man yell, which wakes up a baby . . . and so on, until traffic is jammed, horns are honking, store owners are out on the sidewalk bickering, and an awkward shopper knocks over a fruit stand. Then the rain stops, the sun comes out, bringing a rainbow, and just like that everyone’s annoyance melts away and life is sweeter. Using a bright palette and making small details and facial expressions stand out, Shannon creates a gleaming, rain-washed neighborhood of gently caricatured residents, all of whom fall into conventional gender roles but convey the episode’s moods, changeable as the weather, with theatrical flair. Broader, perhaps, but less refreshing in the end than Karen Hesse’s lyrical Come On, Rain! (1999). Save it for a rainy day. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-439-05021-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Like other tributes in the series, adequate fare for cluing newer readers in on some worthy role models.
A very first introduction to the great scientist.
Apparently more concerned with explaining why Marie Curie is worth knowing than compiling biographical details, Sánchez Vegara dispenses with most names and all dates to focus on achievements that reflect her subject’s intellect and character. Opening with Marie’s childhood vow to “be a scientist, not a princess” and her later move from her unnamed home country to become “the best math and science student in Paris,” the author highlights her marriage and Pierre’s “terrible accident,” her discoveries of radium and polonium (no explanation provided), her two Nobel Prizes, and how she helped injured soldiers in an unspecified way during a never-named war and afterward established an institute in Paris to further girls’ educations. Isa idealizes Curie’s features in the illustrations, portraying her as a sweet, smiling child with pale-white skin even in a final view (based on a famous photo) showing her sitting on a pile of books in a row of other great scientists—all of whom are, unsurprisingly, male and white. In the co-published Agatha Christie, illustrator Elisa Munsó at least lets her subject grow up but likewise (with rather more justice) leaves her among stacks of books after Sánchez Vegara’s generalized account of the author’s travels, detectives, and gift for plot twists. Both profiles close with photos, timelines, and afterwords that fill in some of the blanks.
Like other tributes in the series, adequate fare for cluing newer readers in on some worthy role models. (Picture book/biography. 5-7)Pub Date: March 2, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-84780-962-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Review Posted Online: Dec. 25, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2017
Not quite the whole story, but a pleasant, tidy start.
A first look at what electricity does, where it comes from, and how to behave around it.
Beginning with toast, jam, and cartoons on TV, Seo explains that electricity is the “food and energy” not only for home appliances, but for those in hospitals and factories too. The facial features of human figures in Kwak’s neatly drawn scenes hint at this import’s Korean origin—as does the rice cooker in the kitchen and the round two-prong electrical sockets in the house’s walls. The narrator’s rather mild “It’s so inconvenient with no electricity!” in the wake of a blackout partway through may strike American readers as odd, particularly as characters speak of having to “walk up 15 floors” and lament their melted ice cream in addition to being unable to use the computer for homework or games. This is by no means a complete story. Seo explains that electricity comes through a “long and lengthy wire” from power plants that use water, wind, and sunlight—a decidedly incomplete tally of energy sources for both Korea and the United States. Furthermore, there is no mention of AC/DC, and batteries are relegated to an afterthought. Still, in general the wiring and other infrastructure, the various rooms, buildings, and subways visible in cutaway views, and the appliances on display are familiar enough to translate smoothly.
Not quite the whole story, but a pleasant, tidy start. (Informational picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-939248-16-9
Page Count: 30
Publisher: TanTan
Review Posted Online: Feb. 19, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2017
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