Roll out the barrel of monkeys—no, wait, make that one spunky monkey named Willa, short for Princess Willoughby Wallaby Fluff (she wears a tiara), who has a one-day adventure, à la Bill and Ted’s Excellent one, monkey style. Telling her story from her monkey's-eye point-of-view, Willa relates her fascination with the humans in the neighboring zoo cage, especially when they leave treasures behind, like mittens or candy bars. When a boy named Carter leaves his new school backpack by accident, Willa jumps the enclosure in an effort to find him and return it. A wild chase ensues on the backs of cars and atop buses, with a young chipmunk, self-named "Chipmunkey" after calling itself first Willa, then Carter, riding in the pack and giving advice when they get lost in Human City. Sly references to human behavior are particularly witty. Kids will enjoy this silly "monkey business," the third in the Animal Tales series, and find it armpit-fart funny. Black-and-white drawings not seen. (Animal fantasy. 8-10)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59990-557-0
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Aug. 18, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Resilient Emma has had to solve more than one predicament in her young life, often creating misunderstandings with her large family, lovable pets and favorite nanny—Annie. This time Emma’s dilemma involves losing the two of the most important things in her life—her best friend Luisa is moving and her favorite horse Rooney, whom she visits often at the riding stable, is about to be sold by its owner. Coming up with ways to prevent or change these two events is easier said than done, even for the resourcefully positive Annie, who can usually hatch a “splendid idea.” Emma comes up with several schemes, from buying the horse herself to warding off a prospective wealthy buyer by purposely causing some ferret-induced horse hysteria at the stable. In the end, Emma’s realization that kindness and love sometimes necessitate difficult decisions helps her solve both issues with true altruism. Hermes’ latest installment in her winning series provides the right amount of humor, suspense and pathos as her young protagonist reaches a new level of emotional growth. (Fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: April 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7614-5905-7
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Similar butterfly albums abound, but none show these most decorative members of the insect clan to better advantage....
Another interwoven flight of poetry, natural history and lovely art from the creators of An Egg Is Quiet (2006) and A Seed Is Sleepy (2007).
Beneath hand-scripted headers that sometimes take license with facts but create lyrical overtones (“A butterfly is creative”), Aston offers specific and accurate descriptions of metamorphosis, pollination, camouflage, migration and other butterfly features and functions, along with the differences between butterflies and moths. Imagination-stretching comparisons—“monarchs weigh only as much as a few rose petals,” the wingspan of the Arian Small Blue is “about the length of a grain of rice”—lend wings to the body of facts, and though the author avoids direct mention of reproduction or death, a quick closing recapitulation that harks back to the opening page’s hatching egg provides an artful hint of life’s cyclical pattern. With finely crafted, carefully detailed close-up watercolors, Long depicts dozens of caterpillars and butterflies, each one posed to best advantage, unobtrusively labeled and so lifelike that it’s almost a surprise to page back and find them in the same positions.
Similar butterfly albums abound, but none show these most decorative members of the insect clan to better advantage. (Informational picture book. 8-10)Pub Date: May 18, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-8118-6479-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
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