Marc Chagall is a difficult subject for a biography, especially one for children. His art is also dense with meaning and texture. The authors have attempted to combine biographical information with interpretation of some of his major paintings and have achieved only partial success. Stressing the relationship between the events in his life and the subjects he chose to paint, they describe and explain the paintings in that context. The biographical material is mixed with both descriptions of the paintings and side notes on style, and all of this is presented in a variety of type sizes, arrangements, and colors. Family photographs are also included in the mix. The results are visually exciting, but confusing, creating a sense of being overwhelmed by the material. This is an interesting but not quite satisfying addition to the Adventures in Art series and is also less suitable for the younger readers for whom it is intended. (Biography. 12+)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2001
ISBN: 3-7913-2393-8
Page Count: 30
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2000
Compulsively readable commercial-grade series fiction that provides solid thrills but is unsatisfying as a stand-alone.
Three teenagers in an isolated community have 100 days to figure out how to save the world.
There are two kinds of series for children and teens: those in which each book is a complete story with a beginning, middle and end and those that tell a segment of a tale before simply stopping in the middle. The Phoenix Files falls into the second camp, so Morphew’s series opener feels less like a novel and more like the setup for one. Set in Australia, this fast-paced page-turner with a tried-but-true premise begins when Luke and his high-powered, workaholic mother move to Phoenix, a picture-perfect corporate town that turns out to be seriously sinister underneath. It’s completely cut off from the rest of the world, and worse, as the protagonists later discover, they can’t get out. After Luke and Jordan receive mysterious messages via USB memory stick, they team up with computer-whiz classmate Peter and learn that all the world, excluding Phoenix, is scheduled to end in 100 days. As the clock ticks down—the chapter headings cleverly tell readers the number of days left—the so far largely monochromatic heroes must figure out what is going on, who is responsible and how to stop it.
Compulsively readable commercial-grade series fiction that provides solid thrills but is unsatisfying as a stand-alone. (Thriller. 12 & up)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-61067-091-3
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Kane Miller
Review Posted Online: May 21, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2013
The handsome production values and sincere enthusiasm can’t be denied, but it’s hard to imagine the right audience for this...
Letter by letter, Iwata builds a steampunk world for a story that does not exist and formats it for an audience that can’t possibly comprehend it.
This alphabet board book presents gizmos galore, each handsomely presented with puffs of steam and ornate clockwork decorations. Through the artifacts described, adult readers can begin to understand the civilization that spawned them. A is for Apple (an apple-shaped music box, that is); J is for Jar (a self-opening one); Y is for Yarn (actually, a device that unravels knitwear and re-spools the constituent yarns). Each contrivance is depicted in loving detail, colors applied with an airbrushed (or digital) polish. A short gloss explains its origin and/or use, and it is celebrated in limping verse, as for Helmet: “With steam-powered engines in every household / A good fuel source was more precious than gold / Miners dug deep in the earth and discovered / They stood more of a chance if they kept their heads covered.” Except for the roughly 6-inch-square trim, board pages and large capital letters (presented against a too-busy background of interlocking gears), there is nothing in this book for the traditional board-book audience.
The handsome production values and sincere enthusiasm can’t be denied, but it’s hard to imagine the right audience for this book . (Board book. 13 & up)Pub Date: June 11, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-937359-40-9
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Cameron + Company
Review Posted Online: May 29, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2013
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
