by Holly Keller & illustrated by Holly Keller ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1994
There's disagreement in Nam's Vietnamese village: His grandfather hopes that, now the war is over, cranes will return to the area set aside for them; but Mama and Papa (among others) want to plant rice there. As planned, the monsoon floods the cranes' reserve with water held by the new dikes; but after the dry season's return the village committee decides to wait for the cranes until the next rains, but no longer. Then Nam's dog finds a crane nestling and gives it to him, unhurt. Papa and Nam make sure that there's a whole flock of the birds before telling Grandfather, and, after all, everyone rejoices. Keller's narration, based on her experience with an Earthwatch project, is suffused with the affection between the boy and his grandfather and the warm security of their community, a strong setting for a debate that epitomizes the worldwide struggle between land use and conservation. Her simple, stylized art is both handsome as pure design and effective as narrative illustration with appeal for young children. A fine contribution. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-688-12339-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1994
Categories: CHILDREN'S FAMILY
Share your opinion of this book
Did you like this book?
More by Holly Keller
BOOK REVIEW
by Holly Keller & illustrated by Holly Keller
BOOK REVIEW
by Holly Keller & illustrated by Holly Keller
BOOK REVIEW
by Holly Keller & illustrated by Holly Keller
by Jennifer Ward ; illustrated by Steve Jenkins ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 18, 2014
Echoing the meter of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” Ward uses catchy original rhymes to describe the variety of nests birds create.
Each sweet stanza is complemented by a factual, engaging description of the nesting habits of each bird. Some of the notes are intriguing, such as the fact that the hummingbird uses flexible spider web to construct its cup-shaped nest so the nest will stretch as the chicks grow. An especially endearing nesting behavior is that of the emperor penguin, who, with unbelievable patience, incubates the egg between his tummy and his feet for up to 60 days. The author clearly feels a mission to impart her extensive knowledge of birds and bird behavior to the very young, and she’s found an appealing and attractive way to accomplish this. The simple rhymes on the left page of each spread, written from the young bird’s perspective, will appeal to younger children, and the notes on the right-hand page of each spread provide more complex factual information that will help parents answer further questions and satisfy the curiosity of older children. Jenkins’ accomplished collage illustrations of common bird species—woodpecker, hummingbird, cowbird, emperor penguin, eagle, owl, wren—as well as exotics, such as flamingoes and hornbills, are characteristically naturalistic and accurate in detail.
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers. (author’s note, further resources) (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-2116-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 4, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Share your opinion of this book
Did you like this book?
More by Jennifer Ward
BOOK REVIEW
by Jennifer Ward ; illustrated by Alexander Vidal
BOOK REVIEW
by Jennifer Ward ; illustrated by Lisa Congdon
BOOK REVIEW
by Jennifer Ward ; illustrated by Diana Sudyka
by Jean Reagan & illustrated by Lee Wildish ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 10, 2012
Reagan’s second outing is a tongue-in-cheek reversal of roles as a young boy instructs readers on how best to entertain and care for a grandpa while Mom and Dad are away.
First, he instructs them to hide when Grandpa rings the doorbell—resist the wiggles and giggles, and only pop out when he gives up. Then, reassure him that Mom and Dad will be back and distract him with a snack—heavy on the ice cream, cookies, ketchup and olives. Throughout the day, the narrator takes his grandpa for a walk, entertains him, plays with him, puts him down for a nap and encourages him to clean up before Mom and Dad’s return. Lists on almost every spread give readers a range of ideas for things to try, provided their grandfathers are not diabetic or arthritic, or have high blood pressure or a heart condition. These lists also provide Wildish with lots of fodder for his vignette illustrations. His digital artwork definitely focuses on the humor, with laugh-out-loud scenes and funny hidden details. And his characters’ expressive faces also help to fill in the grandfather-grandson relationship that Reagan's deadpan narrative leaves unstated.
A good choice for just those days when Mom and Dad do go away and leave their children in charge of Grandpa. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 10, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-375-86713-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2012
Categories: CHILDREN'S FAMILY
Share your opinion of this book
Did you like this book?
More In The Series
by Jean Reagan ; illustrated by Lee Wildish
by Jean Reagan ; illustrated by Lee Wildish
by Jean Reagan ; illustrated by Lee Wildish
More by Jean Reagan
BOOK REVIEW
by Jean Reagan ; illustrated by Lee Wildish
BOOK REVIEW
by Jean Reagan ; illustrated by Lee Wildish
BOOK REVIEW
by Jean Reagan ; illustrated by Lee Wildish
© Copyright 2022 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.