Eighth-grader Taeyoung Kim feels torn between her Korean heritage and her new American culture. When she is assigned to do a report on South Korea with one of the most popular boys in school, her feelings begin to surface: She's embarrassed about being ``different,'' her modest upbringing, and her parents. The storyline and themes- -feeling out of place and struggling with the popular crowd—are well known; Marie G. Lee (If It Hadn't Been for Yoon Jun, 1993, etc.) has deftly limned aspects of the Korean experience along these lines. Here, the resolution is predictable. The title and main theme are linked to Tae's piano-playing, which comes across as an afterthought instead of an integral part of the story. While readers get a sense of who Tae is, they may become frustrated with her passivity; the few instances in which she reflects on her life in Korea are adequate, but lack power. Readers will empathize more with Tae's parents, whose tender characterizations are the best in the book. Tae grows and learns, and gets the cute boy, which will satisfy those seeking light fare and no surprises. (Fiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 22, 1997
ISBN: 0-395-84314-6
Page Count: 122
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1997
BOOK REVIEW
Sophisticated dinosaur enthusiasts will enjoy this journey back in time to when ``We can hear the wind in the ancient forests, feel the warmth of the sun, and sniff the salt air of a vanished sea that covered what is now the Great Plains.'' The time-traveler reader can observe a giant crocodile Albertosaurus dozing in the sun, watch newly hatched Maiasaura scramble for the food their mother brings, and sigh when a meat-eating Troodon snatches up a small Orodromeus. As illustration, Henderson has created 26 believable, full-color scenes, authentic reconstructions based on fossil records. Prior knowledge is essential for full enjoyment: there is no time line, scientific names are not included, scale is not provided—readers must look elsewhere for ``the rest of the story.'' Still, evocative and appealing. Index. (Nonfiction. 8-12+)
Pub Date: April 30, 1991
ISBN: 0-02-754521-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1991
BOOK REVIEW
The author of Coconut Kind of Day (1990) returns to the Caribbean to present a series of six vignettes featuring traditional folklore. The storyteller is Tantie, a great-aunt who is larger-than-life to narrator Amber and her cousins. Tantie has a tale for every occasion: one about the witch-like soucouyant for a picnic; one featuring Ligahoo, a powerful shape-changer, for the rainy season; or one about graveyard jumbies to explain the absence of neighbors. The most affecting narratives are the title story, concerning Tantie's lost love, and another about her encounter with papa Bois, a beloved figure in Trinidad. Less formal folktales than flavorful slices of life, all shaped into a continuous narrative uniting the family with stories. An afterword tells more about the legends. Pinkney's skillfully evocative b&w scratchboard illustrations nicely match the spirit of the text. An entertaining introduction to a relatively unfamiliar folk tradition. Glossary. (Fiction/Folklore. 8-12)
Pub Date: April 22, 1991
ISBN: 0-395-54432-7
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1991
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