by Hans Christian Andersen & adapted by Barbara Ensor & illustrated by Barbara Ensor ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 13, 2008
It all begins when a young woman decides she wants a baby enough to visit a witch. After paying a fee, Anne Marie goes home with a seed that quickly grows and blossoms to reveal a tiny girl. Thumbelina grows up sheltered, loved and well-cared for, but full of curiosity about the outside world. She records her frustrations in her diary and begs her mother to let her sleep outside. Finally her mother agrees, but after a night spent playing tag with fireflies, the slumbering Thumbelina is kidnapped by a frog looking for a daughter-in-law. She escapes this fate with some effort and embarks on her own journey down the unfamiliar river. This fleshed-out version of the Andersen tale is faithful to the original and has a charming, old-fashioned tone that lovers of fairy tales will undoubtedly embrace. Crisp silhouettes appear as spot illustrations and hand-lettered diary entries alternate with the conventional text throughout, lending an air of timelessness. (Fiction. 7-10)
Pub Date: May 13, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-375-83960-3
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2008
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by Hans Christian Andersen ; illustrated by Bernadette Watts ; translated by Susannah Mary Paull
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by Hans Christian Andersen ; adapted by JooHee Yoon ; illustrated by JooHee Yoon
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by Hans Christian Andersen ; adapted by Elizabeth James ; illustrated by Kelly Vivanco
by Claudia Mills ; illustrated by Rob Shepperson ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 14, 2016
Another winner from Mills, equally well suited to reading aloud and independent reading.
When Franklin School principal Mr. Boone announces a pet-show fundraiser, white third-grader Cody—whose lack of skill and interest in academics is matched by keen enthusiasm for and knowledge of animals—discovers his time to shine.
As with other books in this series, the children and adults are believable and well-rounded. Even the dialogue is natural—no small feat for a text easily accessible to intermediate readers. Character growth occurs, organically and believably. Students occasionally, humorously, show annoyance with teachers: “He made mad squinty eyes at Mrs. Molina, which fortunately she didn’t see.” Readers will be kept entertained by Cody’s various problems and the eventual solutions. His problems include needing to raise $10 to enter one of his nine pets in the show (he really wants to enter all of them), his troublesome dog Angus—“a dog who ate homework—actually, who ate everything and then threw up afterward”—struggles with homework, and grappling with his best friend’s apparently uncaring behavior toward a squirrel. Serious values and issues are explored with a light touch. The cheery pencil illustrations show the school’s racially diverse population as well as the memorable image of Mr. Boone wearing an elephant costume. A minor oddity: why does a child so immersed in animal facts call his male chicken a rooster but his female chickens chickens?
Another winner from Mills, equally well suited to reading aloud and independent reading. (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: June 14, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-374-30223-8
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2016
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by Claudia Mills ; illustrated by Grace Zong
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by Claudia Mills ; illustrated by Grace Zong
by David Shannon ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1999
The poster boy for relentless mischief-makers everywhere, first encountered in No, David! (1998), gives his weary mother a rest by going to school. Naturally, he’s tardy, and that’s but the first in a long string of offenses—“Sit down, David! Keep your hands to yourself! PAY ATTENTION!”—that culminates in an afterschool stint. Children will, of course, recognize every line of the text and every one of David’s moves, and although he doesn’t exhibit the larger- than-life quality that made him a tall-tale anti-hero in his first appearance, his round-headed, gap-toothed enthusiasm is still endearing. For all his disruptive behavior, he shows not a trace of malice, and it’ll be easy for readers to want to encourage his further exploits. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-590-48087-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1999
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by David Shannon ; illustrated by David Shannon
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