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GIANT STEPS

Name: GIANT STEPS
Author: Elizabeth Loredo
ISBN: 0-399-23491-8

by Elizabeth Loredo & illustrated by Barry Root ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2004

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A quintet of infectiously grinning behemoths, a well-delivered punch line, and an unexplained joke left for young readers or listeners to figure out on their own buoy this globe-spanning game of “Giant Steps.” After a round of “One potata, two potata,” which for some reason the fifth giant always loses, his oversized, peg-toothed compatriots, dressed in a variety of ragged skins and fleeces, scatter to the cardinal directions. Loredo sends her giants bounding off in a tumble of inventive usage and dropped letters—“He run out over jaggy-tip mountains and bottomless pools and shaggy sheep roamin’ through spittin’ camel herds…”—until the fifth giant finishes counting and bellows out a stentorian “FREEZE!” that brings the whole world to a stop. But, as ever, he’s still IT at game’s end—which all agree is a good thing, as (wait for it) he’s the only one of the five who can count. A cheerful, Bunyanesque episode that, like Loredo’s Boogie Bones (1997), begs to be read aloud. (Picture book. 7-9)

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2004

ISBN: 0-399-23491-8

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2004

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
BOOGIE BONES
by Elizabeth Loredo & illustrated by Kevin Hawkes

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HORRIBLE HARRY AT HALLOWEEN

by Suzy Kline & illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2000

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Every year since kindergarten, Harry’s Halloween costume has gotten scarier and scarier. What’s it going to be this year? He’s not telling. His classmates are all stunned when he shows up, not as some monster or a weird alien (well, not really)—but as neatly dressed Sgt. Joe Friday of Dragnet fame, wielding a notebook and out to get “just the facts, ma’am.” As she has in Harry’s 11 previous appearances (15, counting the ones his classmate Song Lee headlines), Kline (Marvin and the Mean Words, 1997, etc.) captures grammar-school atmosphere, personalities, and incidents perfectly, from snits to science projects gone hilariously wrong. She even hands Harry/Friday a chance to exercise his sleuthing abilities, with a supply of baby powder “fairy dust” gone mysteriously missing. As legions of fans have learned to expect, Harry comes through with flying colors, pinning down the remorseful culprit in 11 minutes flat. No surprises here, just reliable, child-friendly, middle-grade fare. Illustrations not seen. (Fiction. 7-9)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2000

ISBN: 0-670-88864-8

Page Count: 64

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2000

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
HORRIBLE HARRY SAYS GOODBYE
by Suzy Kline ; illustrated by Amy Wummer

- BOOK REVIEW
HERBIE JONES SAILS INTO SECOND GRADE
by Suzy Kline & illustrated by Sami Sweeten

- BOOK REVIEW
HORRIBLE HARRY AND THE MUD GREMLINS
by Suzy Kline & illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz

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LIKE PICKLE JUICE ON A COOKIE

by Julie Sternberg and illustrated by Matthew Cordell ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2011

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When Bibi, her first and favorite babysitter, moves away, it takes all of August for 8-year-old Eleanor to get beyond her sense of loss and get used to a new caretaker. Her parents grieve, too; her mother even takes some time off work. But, as is inevitable in a two-income family, eventually a new sitter appears. Natalie is sensible and understanding. They find new activities to do together, including setting up a lemonade stand outside Eleanor’s Brooklyn apartment building, waiting for Val, the mail carrier, and taking pictures of flowers with Natalie’s camera. Gradually Eleanor adjusts, September comes, her new teacher writes a welcoming letter, her best friend returns from summer vacation and third grade starts smoothly. Best of all, Val brings a loving letter from Bibi in Florida. While the story is relatively lengthy, each chapter is a self-contained episode, written simply and presented in short lines, accessible to those still struggling with the printed word. Cordell’s gray-scale line drawings reflect the action and help break up the text on almost every page. This first novel is a promising debut. Eleanor’s concerns, not only about her babysitter, but also about playmates, friends and a new school year will be familiar to readers, who will look forward to hearing more about her life. (Fiction. 7-9)