by Doug Cushman & illustrated by Doug Cushman ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1994
The Scientific American imprimatur on this Children's BOMC selection is misleading: the two animal friends' gardening between one spring and the next—planting vegetables, watching them grow, putting things by, enjoying the beach or making a snow mouse as they await the next garden task—makes an effective overview of seasonal activities, but it's marred by inattention to detail. E.g., Mole shows Mouse ``how to plant pea seeds,'' but no specifics are offered; four corn seedlings (in a single row under an apple tree) simply don't resemble corn in the cartoon- style illustrations; and while a substantial number of related facts are offered in boxes at page bottoms (e.g., ``under the garden'' are worms, ants, grubs, and aphids) they tend to be superficial (what is the significance of these underground creatures?). A book that promises more than it delivers; still, the sprightly tone and cheery illustrations may arouse interest, and a knowledgeable adult could build on what's outlined here. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: March 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-7167-6524-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1994
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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by Erzsi Deàk ; illustrated by Doug Cushman
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by Doug Cushman ; illustrated by Doug Cushman
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by Mallory Loehr & illustrated by Pamela Silin-Palmer ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 24, 2006
The can’t-miss subject of this Step into Reading series entry—a unicorn with a magic horn who also longs for wings—trumps its text, which is dry even by easy-reader standards. A boy unicorn, whose horn has healing powers, reveals his wish to a butterfly in a castle garden, a bluebird in the forest and a snowy white swan in a pond. Falling asleep at the edge of the sea, the unicorn is visited by a winged white mare. He heals her broken wing and she flies away. After sadly invoking his wish once more, he sees his reflection: “He had big white wings!” He flies off after the mare, because he “wanted to say, ‘Thank you.’ ” Perfectly suiting this confection, Silin-Palmer’s pictures teem with the mass market–fueled iconography of what little girls are (ostensibly) made of: rainbows, flowers, twinkly stars and, of course, manes down to there. (Easy reader. 4-7)
Pub Date: Oct. 24, 2006
ISBN: 0-375-83117-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2006
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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by Mallory Loehr & illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
by Margery Cuyler & illustrated by S.D. Schindler ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2002
Who hasn’t shared the aggravation of a whole day’s worth of bone-rattling hiccups? Poor Skeleton wakes up with a deadly case that he can’t shake, and it’s up to his friend Ghost to think of something to scare them away. Cuyler (Stop, Drop, and Roll, 2001, etc.) cleverly brings readers through the ups and downs of Skeleton’s day, from shower to ball-playing. Home folk remedies (holding his breath, eating sugar) don’t seem to work, but Ghost applies a new perspective startling enough to unhinge listeners and Skeleton alike. While the concept is clever, it’s Schindler’s (How Santa Lost His Job, 2001, etc.) paintings, done with gouache, ink, and watercolor, that carry the day, showing Skeleton’s own unique problems—water pours out of his hollow eyes when he drinks it upside down, his teeth spin out of his head when he brushes them—that make a joke of the circumstances. Oversized spreads open the scene to read-aloud audiences, but hold intimate details for sharp eyes—monster slippers, sugar streaming through the hollow body. For all the hiccupping, this outing has a quiet feel not up to the standards of some of Cuyler’s earlier books, but the right audience will enjoy its fun. (Picture book. 4-6)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-689-84770-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2002
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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by Margery Cuyler ; illustrated by Will Hillenbrand
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by Margery Cuyler ; illustrated by Will Terry
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