Tailor Schmuel learned to make time useful, to work and not stop “until that old clock says so!” Consequently, Schmuel refuses to take time to understand a young girl’s request for a special white-and-blue dress with “a little red heart.” Days lead into months and years. Schmuel, now 41, laments his missed opportunity, but the clock on the wall urges him, “Tockety-tick tock! / I give you all the time you need! / Tickety-tock tick! / Just do it and you’ll be happy!” and turns time back, allowing him to create the dress, reverse his lonely fate and wed his beautifully dressed bride. GrandPré’s double-page spreads feature honey-gold and twilight-blue and -purple hues in combined gouache-and-fabric collage art and artfully depict a boy’s progression from child to man. Brown’s tale unfolds in an irregular poetic format with an uneven rhyme that guides the oral reader along. However enjoyable it sounds aloud, however, its message—of the value of second chances and stopping to live life in the now—seems aimed more at adults than children. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-06-078752-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Laura Geringer/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2008
BOOK REVIEW
Young readers drawn by the gloriously toothy dinosaur posing on the cover of this tongue-in-cheek space opera may be astonished to discover that he’s the episode’s hero. Dispatched from Planet Jurassica to investigate a mysterious crash on a nearby moon, intrepid Captain Raptor (as in velociraptor) and his scaly crew weather a host of dangers—repeatedly punctuated by variations on “Could this be the end of Captain Raptor?”—before coming to the rescue of a stranded set of small, tail-less mammalian aliens. O’Brien illustrates the nonstop action in graphic-novel style, filling variously shaped panels with detailed scenes of colorful dinosaurs in retro body armor working riveted control panels, creeping through a jungle and similarly appropriate activities. In the end, Captain Raptor bids farewell to the grateful travelers from Earth and blasts off for some space exploration of his own. Readers not yet up to James Gurney’s “Dinotopia” tales will roar with approval. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-8027-8935-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Walker
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2005
When Benjamin defeats his friend James in a game at school, James calls him a name, the “word” of the title. While the name itself is never mentioned, Benjamin’s talk with his father about his hurt feelings makes it clear that James has insulted Benjamin because his heritage is mixed: half-Russian Jew, half-Mexican. The father-son relationship and their discussions—coming only as Benjamin is ready to talk—are warm and open, and Benjamin’s conclusion that he still wants James to be his friend is encouraging and believable. Dyen’s illustrations feature background washes, small and large, overlain with penciled details and outlines, creating an expressive realism. A quiet look at prejudice, forgiveness and friendship. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: April 30, 2005
ISBN: 1-55885-413-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Piñata Books/Arte Público
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2005
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