The format and melodramatic touches add appeal; the climactic inconsistency doesn’t.
Two young explorers get an eyeful and an earful about the Amazon rainforest after joining an expedition searching for a rumored giant piranha.
Like the rainforest itself, St. Pierre’s sequential panels are bursting with bioforms. These range from the human cast—which includes reader stand-ins William, who presents White, and Jaclyn, who has brown skin and dark, curly hair; Indigenous Kukama villagers; and the racially diverse boatload of scientists led by Fabien Cousteau (a White man, grandson of Jacques-Yves)—to lush greenery, pink river dolphins, predatory caimans (six types), vampire bats, small but deadly frogs, really big leeches and snakes, and bevies of insects and other fauna. In keeping with the pedagogical drift of previous expeditions like Great White Shark Adventure (2019), Fraioli’s panel-crowding dialogue consists largely of minilectures on the area’s natural history as well as how cattle ranching and logging are threatening its distinctive ecosystems. Found at last in a hidden lagoon, the rare, thrillingly toothy fish are hooked and collected by the bucketload rather than just observed, which is a teeny bit at odds with the overall message. Still, the outing ends with expressions of fervent commitment to greener practices and getting the word out.
The format and melodramatic touches add appeal; the climactic inconsistency doesn’t. (Graphic informational fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-2094-6
Page Count: 112
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
A riveting adventure about an encounter with one of nature’s most formidable manifestations. Beard (The Flimflam Man, 1998, etc.) presents a suspenseful account of Lucille and her brother Natt’s experience during an afternoon tornado; readers will keep turning the pages until the climactic conclusion. Natt and Lucille are left alone in shelter of the cellar during the storm as their mother goes to assist an elderly neighbor. With quiet courage the two face the storm, relying upon each other for moral and physical support. Beard’s lyrical descriptions of Natt and Lucille’s experiences lend a you-are-there immediacy to the tale, while Carpenter’s generously colored artwork vibrates with the intensity of nature unleashed. Turquoise skies quickly turn to dark indigo as the storm approaches. Deep, foreboding grays predominate as Natt and Lucille wait out the storm; with the return of lighter skies and colors, the children emerge from their shelter. A rousing tale. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: March 10, 1999
ISBN: 0-374-37977-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1999
The dream phantasms of a high-spirited narrator intersect, even crowd, reality, but the stream-of-consciousness text makes for a rambling, radically personal tale. Playful images of a stuffed lion, trampoline, purple shoes, and a cat named Pine-Cone take hold in a young girl’s imagination, despite her “old” mother who makes her go to bed when she’d rather “stay up early” and a big sister with a cranky disposition. At home, she likes counting flea bites and pretending to be a worm, but is afraid of the dark and going to Grade One. The second half of the book takes off in a separate first-day-of school direction. Wild dreams precede the big day, which includes bullies on the playground and instant friend Chelsea. The childlike articulations of the text are endearing, but not quite of universal interest, and don’t add up to a compelling story; children may more readily warm to Gay’s illustrations, which include a dreamlike flying cat, a menacing hot dog, and an uproarious stuffed toy looming over everyday domestic scenes. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: Feb. 15, 1999
ISBN: 1-55143-107-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1999
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
