A solid nonfiction offering; libraries should buy multiples.
Farmer (O Christmas Tree, 2010) offers a compelling survey of the history, legends, traditions and symbols of Valentine’s Day for the primary school set.
This nonfiction title is best read cover to cover instead of flipped through to locate specific information, since there is no table of contents or index to aid in locating specific facts. Readers first learn that the holiday’s origins can be traced to ancient Rome, but they will be intrigued to learn how religious figures, a poet, an imprisoned nobleman and an entrepreneurial woman in Massachusetts called the “Mother of the American Valentine” have all helped shape this special day in February. The information is presented succinctly, on topical pages consisting of a few paragraphs of text, and illustrators Halsey and Addy add playful touches with their mixed-media collage utilizing photographs, vintage clip art, hand-drawn images and acrylic paints. After the history has been covered, readers learn more about the significance of the holiday symbols and traditions involving Cupid, doves, hearts, chocolates and flowers. A couple of quick craft projects, a page of Valentine’s Day jokes and a smattering of quotes about love interspersed throughout the book all add appeal for young students.
A solid nonfiction offering; libraries should buy multiples. (Nonfiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-58089-389-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: Oct. 9, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
Younger readers will wish that they could toss their heads…or at least that they knew someone who could.
A lonely zombie makes new friends just by being herself—on Halloween.
Quelled by Auntie Departed’s warnings, young Ghoulia has always confined her outdoor play to the walled grounds of Crumbling Manor…until she eavesdrops on some living children and learns about Halloween. Taking advantage of this perfect opportunity to fit in, she sneaks out with her albino greyhound (and gifted hairdresser), Tragedy, for some trick-or-treating. Hearing her name as “Julia,” the costumed children welcome her. But when they compete to see who’s the scariest, Ghoulia forgets herself and does her “special scary move,” tossing her head in the air and catching it in one hand. The children stand wide-eyed through no fewer than three illustrations on three successive pages—and then welcome her with wild delight and agree to keep her secret from the grown-ups. From then on they become regular visitors to Crumbling Manor. In full-color pictures that take up all or most of every page, Cantini depicts her undead urchin Tim Burton–style, with stitched lips, gray skin, and purple shadows beneath huge eyeballs (everyone else appears white—or sheet white). Assisted by suggestive labels (“Creaky steps”; “A spider visiting from the attic”; “Painting of Grandad Coffin”), the manorial setting has an Addams Family vibe and provides just the right spooky setting for this series opener. Halloween-themed activities are included in the backmatter.
Younger readers will wish that they could toss their heads…or at least that they knew someone who could. (Fantasy. 6-8)Pub Date: Aug. 7, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3293-5
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
Not particularly challenging—nor, since the settings are conventional enough that even younger children will probably find...
In the same vein as the author’s Once Upon a Time Map Book (1999 with foldouts; flat edition 2004), more map-reading practice in the guise of an ocean voyage and six tours of spooky landscapes or locales.
Hennessy starts by inviting armchair travelers to step aboard the Ghostly Galleon in a Mediterranean “Haunted Harbor” and later to join such tour guides as Gruesome Gus for a trip around the “Western Terror-tories,” and Hercules as he revisits the sites of selected labors in the “Land of Mythical Monsters.” For each expedition, the author lays out an itinerary with map coordinates in stages measured by “mermaid leagues,” “zombie miles” or like appropriate units. Readers can trace each route on uncluttered painted aerial or cutaway views that fill about two thirds of their spreads. These come with number/letter grids (in a lightweight typeface that makes it hard to distinguish a “1” from an “I”), compass roses, keys and large (superfluous) labels on major features—as well as various mermaids and monsters, plus tiny black cats or other not-exactly-concealed items to spot. Madrid’s digitally produced illustrations include full-page “close ups” that, for some reason, differ in detail from their corresponding iterations on the maps.
Not particularly challenging—nor, since the settings are conventional enough that even younger children will probably find them familiar, particularly scary either. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: June 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7636-4541-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
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