Olson-Brown’s joyful jubilee is a tribute to polka-dot footwear. Jaunty verses utilize an assortment of adjectives to describe types of clothing from hats to pants and everything in between. Each two-page spread features a quartet of barefoot children attired in the finery detailed by the accompanying text (“Ugly pants / Pretty pants / Country pants / City pants,” for instance). A flap at the bottom third of the page turns to reveal the concluding refrain (in this case, “A rainbow of polka-dot boots!”) and the children’s tooties now shod in an array of polka-dotted boots. The color-saturated pages depict children in a bevy of inventive outfits. The simplicity and predictability of the text readily lends itself to jolly read-aloud sessions. The bright primary colors of Engel’s acrylic-and–digital collage illustrations are ideally suited for the preschool audience. The novelty of “dressing” the characters in fanciful galoshes adds to the allure. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: March 9, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-58246-287-5
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Tricycle
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Inside a colorful garden, some plants “grow up,” while others “grow down, and still others grow “around and around.” This catchy, rhyming refrain, with some variation, introduces children to an abundance of garden vegetables and legumes, including corn, carrots, cucumbers, peppers, potatoes, broccoli, beets, green beans, okra, onions and tomatoes, as well as the ambiguous pumpkin, and follows them from seed to plant to lunch. The different plants are shown sprouting under and above ground, and youngsters will delight in the bird- and mole’s-eye perspectives. Energetic watercolor-and-ink illustrations, inhabited by multiracial tots, a farmer, a scarecrow, friendly bugs, worms, crows, rabbits and, of course, a plethora of seeds, plants and produce, are a feast for the eyes and will whet children’s appetites for further knowledge—and for a very healthy lunch. An inviting introduction to the wonder of plants, food and gardening, this charming selection will be a favorite of teachers, students and home readers alike. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: April 1, 2007
ISBN: 0-7636-2378-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2007
Through quick thinking and personal sacrifice, a wise old Japanese farmer saves the people of his village from a devastating tsunami in this simple yet striking story based on Lafcadio Hearn’s “A Living God.” Ojiisan lives in a cottage on a mountain overlooking the village and sea. One day, villagers gather to celebrate the rice harvest, but Ojiisan stays home thinking “something does not feel right.” When the earth quakes and the sea darkens and runs away from the land, Ojiisan realizes a tsunami approaches. Fearing the oblivious villagers will be swept away, Ojiisan torches his rice fields to attract attention, and they respond, barely escaping the monster wave. Rendered in gouache, pastel and collage, Young’s illustrations cleverly combine natural textures, bold colors and abstract shapes to convey compelling images of chaos and disaster as the rice fields burn and the wave rushes in. In one literally breathtaking double-page spread, an enormous wall of water engulfs the teeny seacoast village. A visually powerful and dramatic tribute to one man’s willingness to sacrifice everything for others. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-399-25006-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2008
BOOK REVIEW
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