Learning to count in Greek is now as easy as one, two, three, in this entry in the Count Your Way series; Haskins and Benson use the numbers one through ten to expound on Greek history and culture. An introductory note explains the history of the Greek alphabet and its influence on contemporary English, then it's on to the digits. Each number is written in Greek and phonetically in English. While some of the subjects relate directly to the number assigned (five, for example, represents the circles that make up the Olympic symbol), others are more arbitrary. One represents Greek Orthodoxy—the only official religion of Greece; six stands for the ``most important'' Greek deities (on whose list?), and ten represents ``ten animals featured in Aesop's fables.'' (Aesop included more.) The structure works well as a means for presenting a smattering of Greek culture, but will be confusing if readers assume the number is intrinsically linked with the subject depicted. Porter's impressionistic illustrations aptly reflect the powdery whites of limed walls and the soothing blues of the Aegean. This book's like a whiff of moussaka: tantalizing, but leaves one craving more. (Picture book/nonfiction. 6-9)
Pub Date: July 2, 1996
ISBN: 0-87614-875-5
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Carolrhoda
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1996
Trickling, bubbling, swirling, rushing, a river flows down from its mountain beginnings, past peaceful country and bustling city on its way to the sea. Hooper (The Drop in My Drink, 1998, etc.) artfully evokes the water’s changing character as it transforms from “milky-cold / rattling-bold” to a wide, slow “sliding past mudflats / looping through marshes” to the end of its journey. Willey, best known for illustrating Geraldine McCaughrean’s spectacular folk-tale collections, contributes finely detailed scenes crafted in shimmering, intricate blues and greens, capturing mountain’s chill, the bucolic serenity of passing pastures, and a sense of mystery in the water’s shadowy depths. Though Hooper refers to “the cans and cartons / and bits of old wood” being swept along, there’s no direct conservation agenda here (for that, see Debby Atwell’s River, 1999), just appreciation for the river’s beauty and being. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: June 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-7636-0792-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2000
Keena Ford’s second-grade class is taking a field trip to the United States Capitol. This good-hearted girl works hard to behave, but her impulsive decisions have a way of backfiring, no matter how hard she tries to do the right thing. In this second book in a series, Keena cuts off one of her braids and later causes a congressman to fall down the stairs. The first-person journal format is a stretch—most second graders can barely write, let alone tell every detail of three days of her life. Children will wonder how Keena can cut one of her “two thick braids” all the way off by pretend-snipping in the air. They will be further confused because the cover art clearly shows Keena with a completely different hairdo on the field trip than the one described. Though a strong African-American heroine is most welcome in chapter books and Keena and her family are likable and realistic, this series needs more polish before Keena writes about her next month in school. (Fiction. 6-9)
Pub Date: July 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3264-3
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2009
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