The endearing, honey-colored hero of James Bear's Pie (1992), ``a rugby player, a singer, and a vegetarian,'' plays a gentle game with the crickets and caterpillars when he's not munching the grasses they inhabit and enjoys singing in ``the Trout and Cricket Choir.'' His friend Skunk, skeptical about the trout (they sing ``quietly,'' Bear explains), makes him promise not to trick the gullible geese with his stories. But they want a story; Bear can't resist obliging, and soon the geese are huddled in a hole Bear's dug, happily imagining the ``golden age'' he's described and, apparently, humming. But are they? Slyly, Bear admits, ``Yes and no.'' The delicately whimsical story is enhanced by Franco-Feeny's affectionate, meticulously detailed art, depicting this peaceable kingdom with rare humor and imagination. Perhaps because Latimer is never tempted by sentimentality, and because his playful stories always seem to have intriguing philosophical subtexts, they are never insubstantial. This one might be profitably compared with MacLachlan's The Facts and Fictions of Minna Pratt (1988); it will be fun to discover what younger children make of it. (Picture book. 5-10)
Pub Date: March 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-684-19526-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scribner
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1994
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
At ``Step 2'' in the useful ``Step into Reading'' series: an admirably clear, well-balanced presentation that centers on wolves' habits and pack structure. Milton also addresses their endangered status, as well as their place in fantasy, folklore, and the popular imagination. Attractive realistic watercolors on almost every page. Top-notch: concise, but remarkably extensive in its coverage. A real bargain. (Nonfiction/Easy reader. 6-10)
Pub Date: April 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-679-91052-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
