QUINITO’S NEIGHBORHOOD/EL VECINDARIO DE QUINITO

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QUINITO’S NEIGHBORHOOD/EL VECINDARIO DE QUINITO

Name: QUINITO’S NEIGHBORHOOD/EL VECINDARIO DE QUINITO
Author: Ina Cumpiano
ISBN: 0-89239-209-6

by Ina Cumpiano & illustrated by José Ramírez ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2005

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Not so much a story as a small boy's introduction of his family members and neighbors, recounted as he makes his way down the street to school. Quinito's neighborhood includes signs in both English and Spanish, lots of small independent businesses and plenty of people who don't subscribe to traditional gender roles, including his father the nurse and his mother the carpenter. At every stop, Quinito knows someone and is sure of his welcome. Ramírez's acrylic-on-canvas paintings feature strong outlines, suggestive of woodcuts, exaggeratedly prominent faces and rich, darkly shaded colors. Not an essential purchase, but this will prove useful even so in curricular settings, when teachers and librarians are presenting units on community helpers and extended families. (Picture book. 3-5)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005

ISBN: 0-89239-209-6

Page Count: 24

Publisher: Children's Book Press

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2005

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
QUINITO, DAY AND NIGHT / QUINITO, DÍA Y NOCHE
by Ina Cumpiano & illustrated by José Ramírez

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ALBERT'S NAP

by Michael Grejniec ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 15, 1995

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Short on savvy, long on oafishness, this ode to frustration is as balky as the theme. Albert, a hippopotamus, settles down to a nap. A mosquito makes an appearance, bedeviling the planned siesta. Albert loses his composure and with increasing ferocity, pursues the little bloodsucker, first with his hand and eventually by hurling the contents of the entire house. Naptime resumes when Albert opens a window and the pest flies out. The vibrant, raggedy- edged watercolors float amiably on a sea of white, but unlike Grejniec's previous books (Good Morning, Good Night, 1993, etc.) the story itself feels artificial from start to finish. Neither character inspires any sympathy, and it's not always clear just who is uttering the lines of minimalist text; if that ambiguity is intended, it's likely to confuse the book's audience. (Picture book. 3-5)

Pub Date: May 15, 1995

ISBN: 1-55858-279-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: NorthSouth

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1995

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
WHAT DID YOU PUT IN YOUR POCKET?
by Beatrice Schenck de Regniers & illustrated by Michael Grejniec

- BOOK REVIEW
THE ANIMALS AND THE ARK
by Karla Kuskin & illustrated by Michael Grejniec

- BOOK REVIEW
FROM ANNE TO ZACH
by Mary Jane Martin & illustrated by Michael Grejniec

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CAT AND MOUSE IN THE RAIN

by Tomek Bogacki & illustrated by Tomek Bogacki ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 1997

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Bogacki's second book about two friends (Cat and Mouse, 1996) is a charming glass-half-empty/glass-half-full story. From their respective homes, the little mouse and the little cat want to go out to the meadow to play with each other, but their siblings warn them that it might rain. The two friends meet anyway, and thanks to an optimistic frog, the pair learn how to play in the drizzle. The text and illustrations shine in their simplicity; Bogacki's lines recreate rain and grass, and give the characters furry appeal. The circle of tolerance grows in this entry: During a second day of rain, all the little cats, all the little mice, and all the little frogs frolic together. (Picture book. 3-5)