Emotionally charged but never manipulative, Bunny’s story and the story of World War I bravery will not be soon forgotten.
Can a horse named Bunny ever be a war horse?
It’s World War I, and horses, especially police horses, are needed for the war effort. Canada is a long way from the battlefields of Belgium, but Bunny the police horse and police officers Thomas and Bud Dundas, brothers, join the war effort. On the very first day, men and horses are put to the test with mustard gas. It’s clear that Bunny is up to the challenge. Bunny is assigned to Bud, and together, they deliver messages and carry wounded soldiers off the battlefields. Other horses are shown pulling ambulances and artillery. The gravity of war is made clear, especially when Bud is killed in combat, leaving brother Tom bereft. Bunny and Tom team up and are still alive at the end of the war. Gentle, muted tones provide the right balance for this historically rooted tale of bravery, loss and love. Though the skyline might show puffs of smoke left over from shelling, the foreground tells the story of the dedication of both horse and rider. The final spread, though lit with the hope of the war’s end, is tinged with sadness: Bunny, like all the war horses from Canada, has been sold to farmers in Belgium, and Tom voyages home alone. The endnotes provide ample extra information for young historians.
Emotionally charged but never manipulative, Bunny’s story and the story of World War I bravery will not be soon forgotten. (map) (Picture book. 6-10)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-77138-024-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: June 29, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look...
Winning actually isn’t everything, as jazz-happy Rooster learns when he goes up against the legendary likes of Mules Davis and Ella Finchgerald at the barnyard talent show.
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look good—particularly after his “ ‘Hen from Ipanema’ [makes] / the barnyard chickies swoon.”—but in the end the competition is just too stiff. No matter: A compliment from cool Mules and the conviction that he still has the world’s best band soon puts the strut back in his stride. Alexander’s versifying isn’t always in tune (“So, he went to see his cousin, / a pianist of great fame…”), and despite his moniker Rooster plays an electric bass in Bower’s canted country scenes. Children are unlikely to get most of the jokes liberally sprinkled through the text, of course, so the adults sharing it with them should be ready to consult the backmatter, which consists of closing notes on jazz’s instruments, history and best-known musicians.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-58536-688-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
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