Wickedly, subversively brilliant.
In this illustrated retelling of the “Humpty Dumpty” nursery rhyme, the egg still falls, but does Humpty lose it all?
Humpty Dumpty lives near a wall and has “no fun at all,” nor do any of the creatures who inhabit this sharp, dark world brought to exquisite life by masterful black-and-white illustrations. The king in this gloomy world has forbidden his subjects—all well-known fairy-tale and nursery-rhyme characters, a clever, nuanced touch—to dream. But Humpty has a dream anyway: He wants to look over the wall. He builds a ladder in secret (“he couldn’t even tell his friend the Mad Hatter”), and one night, he props his ladder against the wall and climbs. The next day, an egg is found in pieces and the king declares the wall has won, sending out photos of the smashed egg. But in his haste to dampen any glimmers of hope his subjects might harbor, the king has neglected to look carefully at the eggshell, and what he misses sets his subjects free. Hughes’ rhyming text is simple, as befits its source, but its timely message is profound: Dreams cannot be stopped by a wall. Christopher’s sublimely detailed illustrations, the style of which, appropriately, harkens to Arthur Rackham, strengthen and expand the story indelibly, giving it visual excitement and atmospheric impact.
Wickedly, subversively brilliant. (Picture book. 6-10)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5247-9302-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Oct. 8, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2019
An uncomplicated opener, with some funny bits and a clear but not heavy agenda.
Hank Zipzer, poster boy for dyslexic middle graders everywhere, stars in a new prequel series highlighting second-grade trials and triumphs.
Hank’s hopes of playing Aqua Fly, a comic-book character, in the upcoming class play founder when, despite plenty of coaching and preparation, he freezes up during tryouts. He is not particularly comforted when his sympathetic teacher adds a nonspeaking role as a bookmark to the play just for him. Following the pattern laid down in his previous appearances as an older child, he gets plenty of help and support from understanding friends (including Ashley Wong, a new apartment-house neighbor). He even manages to turn lemons into lemonade with a quick bit of improv when Nick “the Tick” McKelty, the sneering classmate who took his preferred role, blanks on his lines during the performance. As the aforementioned bully not only chokes in the clutch and gets a demeaning nickname, but is fat, boastful and eats like a pig, the authors’ sensitivity is rather one-sided. Still, Hank has a winning way of bouncing back from adversity, and like the frequent black-and-white line-and-wash drawings, the typeface is designed with easy legibility in mind.
An uncomplicated opener, with some funny bits and a clear but not heavy agenda. (Fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-448-48239-2
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Trisha is ready to start at a new school, where no one will know she has dyslexia. At first, she is heartbroken to be in Miss Peterson’s special-ed class, aka, “the junkyard.” But Miss Peterson treats the children as anything but junk, showing them that everyone has a unique talent. Polacco’s trademark style is fully present here; her sensitively drawn alter ego shines with depth of feeling. When bullying occurs, Miss Peterson proves her students are worthwhile by planning a junkyard field trip, where they find valuable objects to be used in exciting ways. Trisha’s group repairs a plane, and the class buys an engine for it. Then a beloved class member dies, and the children must find a way to honor him. While the plot meanders somewhat, the characters are appealing, believable and provide a fine portrayal of a truly special class. Children will be drawn in by the story’s warmth and gentle humor and will leave with a spark of inspiration, an appreciation of individual differences and a firm anti-bullying message, all underscored by the author’s note that concludes the book. (Picture book. 7-10)
Pub Date: July 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-399-25078-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2010
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