by James Haskins & Kathleen Benson & illustrated by Floyd Cooper ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 1, 1998
Beginning with the pre-dynastic Nubian culture, Haskins (see review, above) covers the successive rise and fall of Saharan and sub-Saharan empires and major cities between 3800 b.c. and a.d. 1665, then veers away from the political and economic history for three paragraphs (actually a long caption accompanying an unidentified performer) about ``Music and Dance,'' a similar essay on ``Art and Religion,'' and a lengthier, broad account of ``Slavery and Colonization.'' The bibliography is better than perfunctory, but neither the map, which has no political boundaries, nor the timeline, which refers to people and cultures not covered in the text, are particularly helpful. This sumptuously packaged first volume in a projected series makes a strong first impression, but those seeking very specific interpretations of the text won't find it in Cooper's golden-hazed paintings, which are strongly atmospheric but less rewarding on cultural and historical details. (Nonfiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-688-10256-5
Page Count: 48
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1998
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by Caroline Arnold & Richard Hewett ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1999
Arnold and Hewett (Stories in Stone, 1996, etc.) record the harrowing rescue of a baby gray whale who had become separated from her mother off the coast of California. She was discovered on January 10, 1997, exhausted, hungry, and near death. J.J. was 14 feet long when she was brought to SeaWorld as a young calf. Gaining 900 pounds in the first month, she had to be moved to a new home by crane. Her caretakers started planning on giving J.J. skills so that she could be released and survive on her own in the ocean. Divers put her food on the bottom of the pool, each day in a different location, so she could practice searching. Arnold is relaxed in her telling, allowing the already dramatic events to unfold naturally: “Everyone cheered as J.J. took a big breath, dove deep, and disappeared. The young whale was on her own.” Full-color photos capture the excitement of J.J.’s release, but also the hard work of preparing her for her return to the sea. (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-9)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8167-4961-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1999
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by Caroline Arnold ; illustrated by Rachell Sumpter
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by Caroline Arnold ; photographed by Caroline Arnold
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by Caroline Arnold ; photographed by Caroline Arnold
by Aliki & illustrated by Aliki ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 31, 1999
PLB 0-06-027821-8 For Aliki (Marianthe’s Story, 1998, etc.), the story of the Globe Theatre is a tale of two men: Shakespeare, who made it famous, and Sam Wanamaker, the driving force behind its modern rebuilding. Decorating margins with verbal and floral garlands, Aliki creates a cascade of landscapes, crowd scenes, diminutive portraits, and sequential views, all done with her trademark warmth and delicacy of line, allowing viewers to glimpse Elizabethan life and theater, historical sites that still stand, and the raising of the new Globe near the ashes of the old. She finishes with a play list, and a generous helping of Shakespearean coinages. Though the level of information doesn’t reach that of Diane Stanley’s Bard of Avon (1992), this makes a serviceable introduction to Shakespeare’s times while creating a link between those times and the present; further tempt young readers for whom the play’s the thing with Marcia Williams’s Tales From Shakespeare (1998). (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-10)
Pub Date: May 31, 1999
ISBN: 0-06-027820-X
Page Count: 48
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1999
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