Canadian yarnspinner Andrews offers tellable Anglicized versions of six lighthearted folktales drawn from diverse traditions. Though several feature familiar elements, such as a lad who can herd hares with the aid of a magic whistle or a haunted house in which body parts tumble down the chimney at night, reworked details give every entry a distinctive character. At least two have the potential to become storytime favorites: “Jacinthe Wins Words,” in which a generous sister and an ungenerous one both receive just deserts from their farts, and “Jane Saves The Day,” about a clever servant who outwits a dangerously workaholic genie. Blake’s blotchy, broadly comic cartoons illustrate both the stories themselves and the short welcome poems that open each one. Good source notes cap a better-than-average collection. (Folktales. 10-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 9, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-88776-811-8
Page Count: 72
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2007
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Two of these authors are journalists, and the training shows in this collection of tidy, conventional human-interest stories. The two- to four-page anecdotes are arranged thematically—``We Are Family'' (the Griffeys, the Clementes, the '79 Pirates); ``Doing the Right Thing'' (``Going to Bat for America: A Tip of the Cap to Ted Williams''); ``Hard Times'' (``Roger Maris: Alone in a Crowd''); etc. They range through baseball's history, featuring sound-bite quotes, dramatic turns of phrase, and Lessons writ large (``We...wanted a book that had `family values' built into the foundation of each story''). These are as easily read, and as intellectually nourishing, as sports-page newspaper columns (which they could be, though there's no evidence of prior publication). At best, a supplementary purchase. Lawrence Ritter's The Story of Baseball (1990) offers a more coherent view of the sport's history, players, attractions, and shining moments. B&w photos. (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-02-733280-2
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
Six aquatic habitats (freshwater lakes and wetlands; rivers; estuaries and salt marshes; coasts; coral reefs; and the open sea) and the animals that live in them are described, together with an overview of new aquariums that emphasize displaying animals in naturalistic settings plus chatty facts about birds, mammals, fish and invertebrates living in and around the waterways. The vivid color photos and informational tidbits are intriguing: e.g., the Baltimore Aquarium discovered that the blue poison arrow frog could be induced to lay eggs in the snapoff bottoms of two-liter soda bottles; and a giant Pacific octopus at the Scripps Aquarium supplemented his diet by climbing out of his tank at night and snacking on fish in neighboring tanks. One error will irritate shark fanciers: ``Instead of laying eggs like most other fish, sharks are live-bearers, animals that give birth to living young.'' Some are, yes, but some aren't (as visitors to the Smithsonian Museum shark exhibit will attest). Still, an attractive and informative book—a strong plea for protecting our watery environment and its inhabitants. Index. (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: May 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-525-67384-9
Page Count: 60
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
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