Cooper is a master at transforming dabs and wiggles of paint into people at play (Ballpark, 1998) or architecture (Building, 1999) or vistas (Country Fair, 1997). Starting with cows—a lot of cows—he tells the tale of ice cream as it happens, from the milking, to the processing, to the blending and tasting. Children (and adults, probably) will be fascinated by the scientists concocting recipes, the taster with the gold spoon whose tongue is insured, and the final journey back to the farm for the farmer’s delivery of ice cream. There’s also a last glimpse of all those cows: “The driver gets out and gives a few cartons to the farmer. The farmer thanks him, then walks out to the field, and eats ice cream with his cows. Well, he lets them watch.” The text slithers through the conveyor belts and around the machinery, emphasizing a particular worker or process. Nearly invisible labels point out important and silly features for hide-and-seek game playing: “crows,” “olive grove,” “hole in the wall.” A chocolate, vanilla, and berry palette adds to the taste appeal. (glossary) (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-9)
Pub Date: April 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-06-001423-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2002
In first-person voice, Aldrin highlights points from his childhood that led to his dream of being an astronaut and making the historic moon landing. Coincidental details like his mother’s maiden name, “Moon,” and his favorite movie hero, the “Lone Ranger,” suggest clues to his destiny. After West Point, he joined the Air Force because “he wanted to fly more than anything.” Minor’s usual beautiful and realistic illustrations effectively convey spatial perspectives and movement, adding depth to the narrative. However, the cover design and type layout are confusing, indicative of a biography instead of an autobiography—a brief intro could have clarified it. Aldrin’s message in an author’s note avows, “If you set your sights high, you may accomplish more than you ever dreamed.” Pair this with Don Brown’s One Giant Step for a child’s-eye view on space exploration. (Flight/space exploration chronology) (Picture book/biography. 6-9)
Pub Date: June 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-06-055445-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2005
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An earnest but energetic tribute to diversity, done up with postmodern arrays of smiling, stylized, lozenge-headed children paired to a rollicking celebration of: “Your coffee and cream skin, / your warm cocoa dream skin . . . / Your chocolate chip, double dip sundae supreme skin! / Your marshmallow treat skin, / your spun sugar sweet skin . . . / your cherry topped, candy dropped, frosting complete skin.” Tyler also urges readers to think about the commonality of “The skin that you laugh in; / the skin that you cry in; / the skin that you look to / the sky and ask, ‘Why?’ in.” Though he changes his tone and plies a verbal mallet to drive his point home in the last several verses, the earlier wordplay more than compensates—while glimpses of one child in a wheelchair, and another held by a biracial couple, expand the general theme to encompass more than skin color alone. A sonically playful, if just a bit overlong, alternative to Sheila Hamanaka’s All the Colors of the Earth (1994). (Picture book. 6-9)
Pub Date: April 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-9759580-0-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Chicago Children’s Museum/IPG
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2005
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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