This dos-à-dos photo-essay plays off the old saw, “If you dig a hole deep enough, you’ll reach China,” to present a representative day in kindergarten classrooms in Schenectady, N.Y., and Beijing. A clock icon on each page shows the time, 12 hours apart, in each place. The American kindergarteners sing and read, draw, eat lunch, celebrate a classmate’s birthday, enjoy recess and negotiate friendships. Turn the book over and start from the back to see the Chinese children doing the same, even down to the birthday celebration. The Chinese section introduces pinyin (Chinese written in the Roman alphabet) and Chinese characters (with notes that are occasionally too complex for the presumed kindergarten-age audience). A problem inherent in emphasizing the praiseworthy “we’re all really alike” message is that cultural differences are elided (though the mealtime differences are strikingly evident). Still, a nifty introduction. (Informational picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: July 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-58089-219-3
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The author of Luigi's All-Night Parking Lot (1990) enriches a story about a boy—a boy whose dad is too busy to recognize the importance of his son's activities—with a fantasy element dramatizing the intensity of a child's imagination. Hank, who loves to work at Dad's studio worktable, is in the midst of coloring a picture when Dad peremptorily commandeers the room for his own work: ``Go play somewhere else. Now scram!'' Complaining that he's ``not playing'' but ``working,'' Hank retires to his room, where he uses an ``acid-green crayon'' to draw a dinosaur so real that it escapes the page. Mom, out fixing the car, is startled by the huge beast but stays calm; Dad is definitely scared. After a rather confusing transition in which the big creature vanishes, Dad checks to see whether Hank is all right, apologizes, and compliments him on his ``work.'' Worthwhile point, well made. The bold, stylized forms and bright colors will be fine for groups; also, a good choice to share with the art teacher. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-525-44970-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1993
Tafuri’s latest has the brisk, clipped tone and clear progression that will make it an ally of any child beginning to read. Bird and Bunny share a tree as their house: Bird up in the branches and Bunny at the base. Bunny would like to be friends, but Bird is painfully shy. A squall that soaks Bird’s place brings the two creatures together in Bunny’s hollow. The next day, with Squirrel and Chipmunk, they rebuild Bird’s ruined nest. Bird answers this display of friendship with a special song of thanks. The kindness of strangers is exactly that: a little gesture here, a little comfort there, and in affable, limpid artwork, Tafuri creates a world that shelters readers from the storm. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: March 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-590-63782-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1999
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