The most playful of the martial arts takes a star turn in this excellent photo essay done by a master of the genre. Capoeira, an intriguing mixture of fighting, dancing and sport, originated in Brazil as African slaves from Angola adapted a form of fighting into a dance to escape the scrutiny of their masters. The history of capoeira is told succinctly in several pages with accompanying map, an antique print and several sepia-ink-and-wash sketches, but it is the vivid photos filled with diverse young people in today’s Brazil and the U.S. that really grip the imagination. The graceful movements of the kids and their teachers (usually quite young themselves) unfold in a cinematic experience that is matched by the explanatory text. Portuguese words and nicknames are used throughout. The music that accompanies this special game is played on the berimbau, a bow-shaped instrument with a gourd attached. The author explains how the music, including drums and other percussive instruments, is used to control the action. For martial-arts fans, armchair travelers and anyone who wants to view a new way of having fun. (bibliography, glossary) (Nonfiction. 8-11)
Pub Date: May 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-1-58430-268-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2007
Categories: CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS
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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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As two young teams face off, a spare, staccato text relates the ever-changing action on the soccer field. Blackstone starts with the basics: “This is a soccer ball. This is a cleat. And this is a soccer player.” Next, she emphasizes the fancy footwork involved and introduces the teams. Then comes the kickoff, and some “running and jumping, bumping and sliding, . . . dribble, pass, pass, dribble, faster, faster, dribble, pass—KICK! This is an overhead shot.” With a potential goal, the goalie launches himself into space trying to catch the ball, the crowd goes wild, and the ball lands in the net. Blackstone (This Is Maine, 1995, etc.) emphasizes that there’s always more shooting than scoring in soccer; sometimes the final score is “zero to zero.” O’Brien’s illustrations capture the feeling of full-tilt playing, showing quick turns and sudden stops, moving in for close-ups and backing up for a distant pan of the whole field. In a humorous visual subplot, an unperturbed fan sets out his lawn chair on the title page and sleeps through the entire game. It’s a bonus in an already inviting introduction to the fast-paced and fleet-footed game of soccer. (Picture book. 6-10)
Pub Date: April 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8050-2801-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1999
Categories: CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS
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