Fifteen traditional limericks and other nonsense rhymes, plus five in the same spirit by the late illustrator ("Antoinette Leach came in from the beach/with a lobster asleep in her curls..."), each visualized in fairly literal fashion, without many of the witty graphic embroideries at which Marshall was so adept. Still, the inimitable caricatures and masterful sense of design are all his; and it's good to have his takes on such perennial rib-ticklers as the gentleman waving the mouse he's just found in his stew, or the "old man of Blackheath" being bitten when he sits on his own false teeth. (Picture book. 3-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1993
ISBN: 0618341870
Page Count: 24
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1993
Categories: CHILDREN'S POETRY
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This heavily earnest celebration of multi-ethnicity combines full-bleed paintings of smiling children, viewed through a golden haze dancing, playing, planting seedlings, and the like, with a hyperbolic, disconnected text—``Dark as leopard spots, light as sand,/Children buzz with laughter that kisses our land...''— printed in wavy lines. Literal-minded readers may have trouble with the author's premise, that ``Children come in all the colors of the earth and sky and sea'' (green? blue?), and most of the children here, though of diverse and mixed racial ancestry, wear shorts and T-shirts and seem to be about the same age. Hamanaka has chosen a worthy theme, but she develops it without the humor or imagination that animates her Screen of Frogs (1993). (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-688-11131-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1994
Categories: CHILDREN'S POETRY
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A full catalog of Lunar New Year traditions packed into a poetic vehicle inspired by Clement C. Moore’s famous verse.
In this installment of Wing’s Night Before series, which has grown to more than two dozen volumes, rhyming couplets describe an Asian family’s Lunar New Year celebration. From hanging spring poems and receiving red envelopes to setting firecrackers, watching the lion and dragon dances, and lighting lanterns on the 15th day, the book is filled with details on what are predominantly Chinese traditions despite the more inclusive title. And it really is quite a comprehensive overview, including the major foods and activities spanning the weekslong holiday. Upbeat, charming pencil, ink, and watercolor illustrations from Wummer, who has collaborated on many other books in the series, capture it all. Unfortunately, the meter of almost every couplet is uneven and awkward, beginning with the opening line, “ ’Twas the night before Lunar New Year,” making it a difficult read-aloud. Nonetheless, the content makes it a worthy pick for the holiday. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A cheerful and thorough look at Chinese Lunar New Year traditions. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Dec. 27, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-38421-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2022
Categories: CHILDREN'S POETRY | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS
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