In bubbly verse and playful imagery reminiscent of Mary Ann Hoberman’s classic A House Is a House For Me (1978), Scanlon expands the idea of a “pocket” to include bowls, balloons, and bathtubs, hats, horseshoes, homes, and more: “A phone is a pocket / for a ring, / a bell is a pocket / for a ding. / A pocket for a duckling is a shell, / and a pocket for a farmer is a dell— / hi ho.” Glasser sends a diverse quartet of families with young children through a day of shared and individual encounters with all of these pockets, depicting figures and settings in various combinations with typically fine, sketchy, exuberant pen work. Tucked in with the closing thought that hearts are pockets full of love, the children at last snuggle into their beds—leaving young readers and listeners seeing their own worlds in a new way, and primed for Ruth Krauss’s antediluvian, but still mind-expanding A Hole Is to Dig (1952). (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-06-029526-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2004
Categories: CHILDREN'S POETRY
Did you like this book?
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
What leaves bubbles of water and air on a lily pond? What leaves a path across the sand to the sea? What leaves shadows on the ground? The “wattled” and “warty” bullfrog creates bubbles on the lily pond. The turtle drags its way across the sand to the sea. Children playing follow the leader cast shadows on the ground. These questions and more are raised and answered in this quiet exploration of the traces different creatures and things leave as they pass on their way. The fox leaves its trace in a wooded glade. The snake leaves its trace in the tall wild grass. A jet airplane leaves its own trace across the sky. Even prehistoric dinosaurs and the wind leave unique marks on nature. Kuskin’s watercolor-and-collage illustrations brilliantly follow bubbles, tails, footprints and shadows across double-page spreads tracking clues left by the not-quite invisible passage of someone or something. A fascinating look at an overlooked part of nature. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-932425-43-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Front Street/Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2008
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S POETRY | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Did you like this book?
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This picture book combines poetry with facts about nature.
Using the arrival of morning as its focus and theme, this nonfiction book provides information about animal, insect, and bird life along with some general natural science. From birds’ singing in the morning through moths’ finding quiet spots to rest as the sun rises to the daily routines of rabbits, foxes, and other animals, readers will discover fascinating facts about Earth’s creatures. Combining entertainment and information, this book not only features the lives of animals, but it also explains why the sky changes color throughout the day and how the Earth’s rotation creates the phenomena of day and night. Each double-page spread highlights a different creature or natural phenomenon; there’s a haiku on verso and on recto, a moderately sized paragraph with both commonly known and more unusual facts. Highlighted words stand out as obvious vocabulary builders; readers can learn their meanings in the appended glossary. The illustrations are large-scale and vivid, with the palette lightening over the course of the book as morning takes hold. Illustrations are graphically simple, with cheerful cartoon animals contributing to the upbeat mood. An added bonus is a page at the back encouraging readers to write their own nature haiku.
The combination of haiku, attractive illustrations, and interesting information makes this a keeper. (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: March 24, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-62317-385-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: North Atlantic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S POETRY | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Did you like this book?
© Copyright 2020 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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.
