Annie Steele wants to be a teacher, but her spendthrift father keeps the family in debt; after he buys a factory-made clock, she's forced to work at the local textile mill. Time now has definite boundaries: meals must be on schedule, and life is regimented by minutes. At the mill, she finds old friends Hetty and Robert, as well as new ones among the wild New York orphans recruited as cheap labor. When the vicious overseer, Mr. Hoggart, ``pesters'' Annie sexually, she complains to adults who ignore her pleas. Meanwhile, Robert finds out that Hoggart is stealing wool; this and his protection of Annie lead Hoggart to engineer Robert's ``accidental'' death. Bravely, Annie perseveres in trying to prove Hoggart's guilt. The irreversible changes brought on by the Industrial Revolution are well defined here: hard work for wages on a relentless schedule replaces endless household chores, while at home father's word is still indisputable. Annie is feisty and remarkably healthy; a little more emphasis on the cruel working conditions for women could have been made. Still, a good introduction to a pivotal point in social history, though it lacks the subtlety and dimensions of Katherine Paterson's Lyddie (1991), which handles the same themes with more artistry and skill. (Fiction. 12+)
Pub Date: March 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-385-30037-9
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Miranda’s book counts the monsters gathering at a birthday party, while a simple rhyming text keeps the tally and surveys the action: “Seven starved monsters are licking the dishes./Eight blow out candles and make birthday wishes.” The counting proceeds to ten, then by tens to fifty, then gradually returns to one, which makes the monster’s mother, a purple pin-headed octopus, very happy. The book is surprisingly effective due to Powell’s artwork; the color has texture and density, as if it were poured onto the page, but the real attention-getter is the singularity of every monster attendee. They are highly individual and, therefore, eminently countable. As the numbers start crawling upward, it is both fun and a challenge to try to recognize monsters who have appeared in previous pages, or to attempt to stay focused when counting the swirling or bunched creatures. The story has glints of humor, and in combination with the illustrations is a grand addition to the counting shelf. (Picture book. 3-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-201835-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999
The Pumpkin Book (32 pp.; $16.95; Sept. 15; 0-8234-1465-5): From seed to vine and blossom to table, Gibbons traces the growth cycle of everyone’s favorite autumn symbol—the pumpkin. Meticulous drawings detail the transformation of tiny seeds to the colorful gourds that appear at roadside stands and stores in the fall. Directions for planting a pumpkin patch, carving a jack-o’-lantern, and drying the seeds give young gardeners the instructions they need to grow and enjoy their own golden globes. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1999
ISBN: 0-8234-1465-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
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