by Jean Cassels & illustrated by Jean Cassels ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2004
Clever gouache paintings and lovely, attractive design can’t save this beckoning “mystery” from a fundamental problem: despite an invitation to help solve it, readers don’t have much left to do after the characters do their work. A young pig receives a letter from his artist uncle asking him and his father to peruse some portraits, identify the subjects, and—based on clues stuck to the back of them (travel tickets, playbills, etc.)—put them in order to reconstruct the artist’s yearlong travels and current plans. “That’s exactly what we did, and so can you!”—but the paintings are already in order and the final answer unavoidably spelled out. Readers do get to identify the portraits with wonderfully sophisticated clues and details for the fairytale and fable characters that guarantee participation and satisfaction. However, the implication that readers can themselves solve the bulk of the mystery is misleading and may cause some disappointment. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-8027-8916-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Walker
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2004
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by Kirby Larson & Mary Nethery & illustrated by Jean Cassels
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by Jean Cassels & illustrated by Lynne Avril Cravath
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by Jean Cassels & illustrated by Jean Cassels
by Marjorie Priceman & illustrated by Marjorie Priceman ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 2, 1994
What if the market was closed when you wanted to bake a pie? You could embark for Europe, learn Italian en route, and pick up some semolina wheat in Italy, an egg in France, kurundu bark for cinnamon in Sri Lanka, and an entire cow in England (butter) before coming home via Jamaica (sugar) and Vermont (apples). The expertly designed illustrations in which a dark-haired lass journeys by various means to these interesting places to get her groceries are lovely and lively, and the narrative, too, travels at a spritely pace. The journey is neither quite logical enough to be truly informative nor quite bizarre enough to be satisfyingly silly, while the rich, sweet recipe that's appended will take some adult assistance. Still, fun. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: May 2, 1994
ISBN: 0-679-83705-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1994
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by Marilyn Singer ; illustrated by Marjorie Priceman
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by Sonia Manzano ; illustrated by Marjorie Priceman
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by Kobi Yamada ; illustrated by Natalie Russell ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2017
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
Awards & Accolades
Our Verdict
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Google Rating
New York Times Bestseller
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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by Kobi Yamada ; illustrated by Adelina Lirius
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by Kobi Yamada ; illustrated by Elise Hurst
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