A saucy version of a traditional tale of the Chinese zodiac from the creators of Ten Suns (1998). Long ago when the Jade Emperor of China was selecting the animals for the Chinese calendar, all the animals wanted to be included. Dragon, sensitive about his bald head, complains to Centipede, who offers, for a price, to obtain Rooster’s gorgeous antlers. Generous Rooster, certain he will be chosen with or without antlers, lends them to Dragon for “as long as he needs them.” Rooster stews when the Jade Emperor selects him tenth, for the dragon was chosen fifth, surely because of his headwear. Worse, Dragon refuses to give the antlers back and Rooster gets mad, forever; to this day, he hops on a fence and calls, “Ku-keri-keru! Dragon, you thief! Give back my antlers!” The telling is well-timed and funny, while the illustrations, with the look of Chinese paper-cutting, thoroughly complement the text. Amid heavy black lines are vividly colored areas, all against a deep aqua background, and filled with pattern and movement. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1999
ISBN: 0-8234-1385-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
Baker (Big Fat Hen, 1994, etc.) engages in more number play, posing ducklings in every combination of groups, e.g., “Splashing as they leap and dive/7 ducklings, 2 plus 5.” Using a great array of streaked and dappled papers, Baker creates a series of leafy collage scenes for the noisy, exuberant ducklings to fill, tucking in an occasional ladybug or other small creature for sharp-eyed pre-readers to spot. Children will regretfully wave goodbye as the ducks fly off in neat formation at the end of this brief, painless introduction to several basic math concepts. (Picture book. 4-6)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-292858-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999
Who is next in the ocean food chain? Pallotta has a surprising answer in this picture book glimpse of one curious boy. Danny, fascinated by plankton, takes his dory and rows out into the ocean, where he sees shrimp eating those plankton, fish sand eels eating shrimp, mackerel eating fish sand eels, bluefish chasing mackerel, tuna after bluefish, and killer whales after tuna. When an enormous humpbacked whale arrives on the scene, Danny’s dory tips over and he has to swim for a large rock or become—he worries’someone’s lunch. Surreal acrylic illustrations in vivid blues and red extend the story of a small boy, a small boat, and a vast ocean, in which the laws of the food chain are paramount. That the boy has been bathtub-bound during this entire imaginative foray doesn’t diminish the suspense, and the facts Pallotta presents are solidly researched. A charming fish tale about the one—the boy—that got away. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-88106-075-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2000
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