In these 12 retellings, the Immortals come across as unusually benign. Dionysius at first suggests to King Midas that he give his excess wealth to the poor, for instance; the troubles that Pandora releases are originally imprisoned in the box by Prometheus’s brother Epimetheus out of compassion for humankind; and it’s Persephone herself who begs for a compromise that will allow her to stay with her beloved Hades for six months out of every year. Kimmel relates each tale in easy, natural-sounding language. And even though his Andromeda looks more Celtic than Ethiopian (as the oldest versions of the story have it), Montserrat’s figures combine appropriate monumentality with an appealing expressiveness. The stories are all familiar and available in more comprehensive collections, but the colorful illustrations and spacious page design make this a good choice for shared reading. (foreword) (Nonfiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: Feb. 5, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-4169-1534-8
Page Count: 112
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2007
Brief answers to 100 questions children asked the editors of Owl magazine, but not everything dinosaur lovers would like to know. Questions vary from intriguing (``Why did huge dinosaurs lay such small eggs?'') to silly (``Were baby dinosaurs cute?''). Some responses don't really answer the question: ``How big was T-rex?'' ``T-rex was so long that it could bite the diving board in most backyard pools while hanging on to the wall at the shallow end with its tail.'' Format is fussy, with three columns of text, photos of fossils, and drawings that vary from authentic to annoyingly rubberized or cute. Some, reproduced from museum murals, are too reduced in size to be useful. Brief ``dinosaur quiz,'' with answers in the back; glossary; index. Adequate where demand is insatiable. (Nonfiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-316-67736-1
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
More flash than substance, this striking oversize book gives brief information on recycling and conservation and provides step-by-step pictorial directions for simple air- and water- pollution experiments that, unfortunately, often fail to demonstrate their hypotheses. A seven-day study of air pollution, for example, appears to show that pollution decreases with the length of exposure—the opposite of the author's intent. In an experiment on ``acid rain,'' three plants are watered with different vinegar solutions; after five days the one given the ``stronger acid'' [sic] is dead. Conclusion: ``Acid rain has the same effect on plants as water and vinegar mixed together, but it is weaker and works more slowly''—but the experiment hasn't shown either that rain is acidic or that the weaker solutions are harmful. A conservation kit in the eye-catching color photos exhibits little care for the environment in its use of highly colored plastics. It's never too soon to learn about conservation, but young environmentalists will do better to look elsewhere for ideas on how to save the earth. (Nonfiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1991
ISBN: 0-679-81780-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1991
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