Imagine that 150 years ago, Charles Dickens decided to write a book just for little girls: a touching tale of not one but two deserving orphans, runaways from the workhouse who are starving in the teaming streets of Victorian London. Through luck, pluck, and assorted amazing coincidences, they find a streetwise older boy (an honest version of the Artful Dodger) to help them and a kindly doll-shop owner, Miss Thimblebee, who gives the oldest sister a job and eventually provides a loving home for both girls. Dickens, of course, never wrote a tale of two sisters, but Woodruff (George Washington’s Socks, 1999, etc.) has spun just such a magical story, expertly incorporating a dash of Dickens with extensive historical research in the early Victorian era into her well-crafted plot. Ten-year-old Lucy and her six-year-old sister Glory are desperately trying to survive in the crowded slums of London when they find an old doll in the mud next to the Thames River. The plot turns on this particular doll, which is sold for a penny, later refurbished in the doll shop, and then chosen as the Christmas doll for the ailing daughter of Queen Victoria’s gardener. The story is told in short chapters with the author employing another Dickensian device—much cliffhanging chapter endings. Young readers who like the American Girls and Dear America series will enjoy this fast-paced historical novel, and mothers or grandmothers will enjoy reading it to girls too young to read by themselves. A “dollightful” surprise for Santa to tuck under the Christmas tree . . . perhaps in the arms of an old-fashioned doll. (Fiction. 6-11)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-590-31872-1
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2000
A young bear cub, Bertie, decides he wants to stay up for Christmas when his non-hibernating friends regale him with tales of snow, honey cakes, and a white-bearded man with gifts. After devising a plan in which he attempts to sleep as much as possible prior to the change of seasons (much to his unsuspecting mother’s bafflement) and with the aid of Mrs. Bear’s alarm clock, Bertie finds himself awakened in the midst of winter. After a sudden snow squall causes him to lose his way in the forest, Bertie is rescued and returned home by a kindly old man in a sled. Bertie reluctantly acknowledges that all bears must hibernate in winter, and Santa promises that he will stop by the bear household next year. Landa and Scharff-Kniemeyer depict a child’s sense of discovery through Bertie, who dances among the snowflakes and slowly realizes that he is riding with Santa himself. The colorful illustrations feature a winsome blend of tenderness, humor, and keen appreciation for a child’s boundless curiosity. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1999
ISBN: 1-888444-60-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1999
paper 0-440-41499-7 When Mike learns that he will be spending Easter at his grandmother’s house on Staten Island, he worries that the Easter Bunny will be unable to locate him and deliver goodies. A well-planned story line weaves together several humorous episodes: an attempt to find E.B. Rabbit’s telephone number in the local directory, the creation of a detailed geographic map and colorful signs, plus a heartfelt letter that includes vital information like the color of his grandmother’s front door. Weston’s full-color illustrations capture Mike’s fears, doubts, determination, and final joy; Winters’s book comforts children and reminds them of the power of belief. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Feb. 9, 1999
ISBN: 0-385-32596-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
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.
bookshelf
