The biggest thing this biography has going for it is the undeniable appeal of its subject: John R. Horner, chief curator of paleontology at the University of Montana and scientific adviser to the film Jurassic Park (now there's a handy hook for getting young readers' attention). Horner is a ready-made kids' hero, with his gee-whiz way of speaking, his mediocre performance in school (he turns out to have been dyslexic), and his uncanny ability to spot dinosaur bones out in the field. Lessem (The Iceman, p. 702, etc.) presents some adult details of Horner's career in a way kids will understand. He flunked out of college seven times—a statistic that proves how persistent he was—but received an honorary doctorate anyway because he just knows so much about dinosaurs. Lessem also dramatically reveals Horner's major scientific discoveries: the first dinosaur eggs and embryos found in North America; the first evidence that dinosaurs nurtured their young; and the most complete T. Rex skeleton ever discovered. Lessem, founder of the Dinosaur Society for kids, has written a couple of books with Horner and obviously is a big fan of his, but the book works thanks to Lessem's own enthusiasm for dinosaurs and his impressive knack for writing in kid-speak. Getting kids interested in dinosaurs isn't hard, but giving them an inspiring scientist role model is no mean feat. This book pulls it off splendidly. (Nonfiction. 7-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 27, 1994
ISBN: 0-7167-6546-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1994
Simple, bella, un regalo permenente: simple and beautiful, a gift that will stay.
Renowned Latin American writer Alvarez has created another story about cultural identity, but this time the primary character is 11-year-old Miguel Guzmán.
When Tía Lola arrives to help the family, Miguel and his hermana, Juanita, have just moved from New York City to Vermont with their recently divorced mother. The last thing Miguel wants, as he's trying to fit into a predominantly white community, is a flamboyant aunt who doesn't speak a word of English. Tía Lola, however, knows a language that defies words; she quickly charms and befriends all the neighbors. She can also cook exotic food, dance (anywhere, anytime), plan fun parties, and tell enchanting stories. Eventually, Tía Lola and the children swap English and Spanish ejercicios, but the true lesson is "mutual understanding." Peppered with Spanish words and phrases, Alvarez makes the reader as much a part of the "language" lessons as the characters. This story seamlessly weaves two culturaswhile letting each remain intact, just as Miguel is learning to do with his own life. Like all good stories, this one incorporates a lesson just subtle enough that readers will forget they're being taught, but in the end will understand themselves, and others, a little better, regardless of la lengua nativa—the mother tongue.
Simple, bella, un regalo permenente: simple and beautiful, a gift that will stay. (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-375-80215-0
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Trickling, bubbling, swirling, rushing, a river flows down from its mountain beginnings, past peaceful country and bustling city on its way to the sea. Hooper (The Drop in My Drink, 1998, etc.) artfully evokes the water’s changing character as it transforms from “milky-cold / rattling-bold” to a wide, slow “sliding past mudflats / looping through marshes” to the end of its journey. Willey, best known for illustrating Geraldine McCaughrean’s spectacular folk-tale collections, contributes finely detailed scenes crafted in shimmering, intricate blues and greens, capturing mountain’s chill, the bucolic serenity of passing pastures, and a sense of mystery in the water’s shadowy depths. Though Hooper refers to “the cans and cartons / and bits of old wood” being swept along, there’s no direct conservation agenda here (for that, see Debby Atwell’s River, 1999), just appreciation for the river’s beauty and being. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: June 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-7636-0792-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2000
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