Chad Holloway’s beloved dog, Shep, was shot and killed by Chad’s grandfather. Although it was a mercy killing, Chad cannot forgive his grandfather and has not spoken a word to him since the day of the accident when he arrived home to find that Shep had been run over, shot, and buried, all without his knowledge. The new puppy, Queen, meant to replace Shep, is treated with disdain, if not contempt, by Chad. Into this predicament enters a new neighbor, David, and his lovely daughter who, at 15, is both a year older and a bit taller than Chad, but fascinating to him nonetheless. David is an animal trainer who uses a unique method of positive reinforcement that he calls “shaping.” Enlisting Chad’s help with research on a book he’s writing, David succeeds in shaping Chad, too. Not only does Chad begin to train Queen, but he begins to like her as well. Opening himself up to Queen finally allows Chad to reconnect with his stoic grandfather and with the rest of his eccentric family. Haas (Appaloosa Zebra, 2002, etc.) manages to tie up a lot of strands in the plot, bringing both the complicated family relationships and the romantic element to a satisfying conclusion. She draws a convincing portrait of Chad, a nice kid whose adolescent self-absorption, compounded by his personal loss, temporarily makes him intolerable. (Fiction. 11-14)
Pub Date: May 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-06-000170-4
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2002
Baker (Big Fat Hen, 1994, etc.) engages in more number play, posing ducklings in every combination of groups, e.g., “Splashing as they leap and dive/7 ducklings, 2 plus 5.” Using a great array of streaked and dappled papers, Baker creates a series of leafy collage scenes for the noisy, exuberant ducklings to fill, tucking in an occasional ladybug or other small creature for sharp-eyed pre-readers to spot. Children will regretfully wave goodbye as the ducks fly off in neat formation at the end of this brief, painless introduction to several basic math concepts. (Picture book. 4-6)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-292858-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999
Who is next in the ocean food chain? Pallotta has a surprising answer in this picture book glimpse of one curious boy. Danny, fascinated by plankton, takes his dory and rows out into the ocean, where he sees shrimp eating those plankton, fish sand eels eating shrimp, mackerel eating fish sand eels, bluefish chasing mackerel, tuna after bluefish, and killer whales after tuna. When an enormous humpbacked whale arrives on the scene, Danny’s dory tips over and he has to swim for a large rock or become—he worries’someone’s lunch. Surreal acrylic illustrations in vivid blues and red extend the story of a small boy, a small boat, and a vast ocean, in which the laws of the food chain are paramount. That the boy has been bathtub-bound during this entire imaginative foray doesn’t diminish the suspense, and the facts Pallotta presents are solidly researched. A charming fish tale about the one—the boy—that got away. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-88106-075-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2000
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