It's hard to explain the charm of Latimer's stories about Moose (this is the third collection). Is it the sweet, impeccable logic brought to such scenes as Cardinal teaching Moose to whistle, a skill he passes on to his valentine Skunk (`` `Flute your tongue,' '' he says)? Or the gentle satire, like the reaction to Fox's book of untested recipes (``I tried them in my mind,'' Fox alleges). It may also have to do, say, with the rueful philosophy informing the animals' patience with a rogue Barbary sheep who invades their territory—``A calm song on the trombone will not change her,'' Muskrat admits, and yet, ``it might.'' Whatever the reason, this ingenuous, peculiarly American whimsy—with Ewing's affectionate watercolor characterizations as the perfect complement—continues to delight. (Young reader. 6- 10)
Pub Date: Sept. 30, 1993
ISBN: 0-684-19335-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scribner
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1993
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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
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