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ON MEADOWVIEW STREET

Name: ON MEADOWVIEW STREET
Author: Henry Cole
ISBN: 978-0-06-056481-0

by Henry Cole & illustrated by Henry Cole ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2007

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While her father mows the lawn at her new house, Caroline wonders how it could actually reflect the street’s name. Soon she finds a small blossom growing in the grass, then another, and eventually persuades Dad to sell the mower while the yard grows freely with wildflowers. Adding a maple tree and a man-made pond attracts an assortment of wildlife from birds, to insects, to a mud turtle and a meadow mouse. Neighbors are encouraged to follow suit, creating meadow environments rather than pristine lawns. Full-color acrylic paintings in double-paged spreads of multiple shades of green, dotted with hues of summer flowers, tell this nature-lover’s story which suggests the possibility of chemical-free garden environments. Though the message will be missed by young children, most will enjoy a final rendering of all the meadow creatures next to their proper names that now live on Meadowview Street. Gentle persuasion for the naturalist in everyone. (Picture book. 4-6)

Pub Date: May 1, 2007

ISBN: 978-0-06-056481-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2007

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
ALBERT'S ABCS
by Henry Cole ; illustrated by Henry Cole

- BOOK REVIEW
CARINA FELINA
by Carmen Agra Deedy ; illustrated by Henry Cole

- BOOK REVIEW
THREE HENS, A PEACOCK, AND THE ENORMOUS EGG
by Lester L. Laminack ; illustrated by Henry Cole

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BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL, STRONG LITTLE ME!

by Hannah Carmona Dias ; illustrated by Dolly Georgieva-Gode ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 14, 2018

Mixed-race children certainly deserve mirror books, but they also deserve excellent text and illustrations. This one misses...

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This tan-skinned, freckle-faced narrator extols her own virtues while describing the challenges of being of mixed race.

Protagonist Lilly appears on the cover, and her voluminous curly, twirly hair fills the image. Throughout the rhyming narrative, accompanied by cartoonish digital illustrations, Lilly brags on her dark skin (that isn’t very), “frizzy, wild” hair, eyebrows, intellect, and more. Her five friends present black, Asian, white (one blonde, one redheaded), and brown (this last uses a wheelchair). This array smacks of tokenism, since the protagonist focuses only on self-promotion, leaving no room for the friends’ character development. Lilly describes how hurtful racial microaggressions can be by recalling questions others ask her like “What are you?” She remains resilient and says that even though her skin and hair make her different, “the way that I look / Is not all I’m about.” But she spends so much time talking about her appearance that this may be hard for readers to believe. The rhyming verse that conveys her self-celebration is often clumsy and forced, resulting in a poorly written, plotless story for which the internal illustrations fall far short of the quality of the cover image.

Mixed-race children certainly deserve mirror books, but they also deserve excellent text and illustrations. This one misses the mark on both counts. (Picture book. 4-6)

Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-63233-170-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Eifrig

Review Posted Online: June 10, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
DAZZLING TRAVIS
by Hannah Carmona Dias ; illustrated by Brenda Figueroa

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FOUR SEASONS MAKE A YEAR

by Anne Rockwell & illustrated by Megan Halsey ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2004

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In this rather blinkered tour through the annual cycle, a child tallies the exact dates of the solstices and equinoxes while observing natural changes that mark each season. Some of those observations are simplistic—in spring: “Every day the air gets warmer.” “June 21st is the first day of summer. Green sprouts spring up from the field.” The possibility that seasons might not be so distinct beyond the author’s New England home is acknowledged only in an inconspicuous, small-type note. In characteristically clear, uncluttered illustrations, Halsey places the young narrator/naturalist in a generic rural setting. Previous Rockwell/Halsey collaborations, such as One Bean (1998) and Two Blue Jays (2003), introduce narrower topics to young children more successfully; for a basic but more inclusive introduction to the seasons, there are plenty of other choices. (Picture book/nonfiction. 4-6)