Madoulina, an eight-year-old girl from Cameroon, would much rather go to school than sell fritters in the market place. But her family needs money, and that’s more important than her education. Or so they think, until the day Madoulina meets Mr. Garba, a teacher. He concocts a plan so that Madoulina can go to class and sell the fritters to the school for lunch. Despite having to make up several weeks of homework, Madoulina is overjoyed to return to her friends and her lessons, and Mr. Garba ends up becoming “like a father” to her. The cultural differences between the US and Cameroon, which this book highlights, isn’t wealth or class, but the attitudes toward education. It will be an eye-opener for most American children: in countries where child labor is necessary to sustain a family, education is a luxury. The bright, folksy illustrations—unusually naive—portray West African family life; fritters are cooked outdoors around a fire, and the kitchen ceiling is nothing but blue sky and the leaves of banana trees. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 1-56397-769-9
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1999
Miranda’s book counts the monsters gathering at a birthday party, while a simple rhyming text keeps the tally and surveys the action: “Seven starved monsters are licking the dishes./Eight blow out candles and make birthday wishes.” The counting proceeds to ten, then by tens to fifty, then gradually returns to one, which makes the monster’s mother, a purple pin-headed octopus, very happy. The book is surprisingly effective due to Powell’s artwork; the color has texture and density, as if it were poured onto the page, but the real attention-getter is the singularity of every monster attendee. They are highly individual and, therefore, eminently countable. As the numbers start crawling upward, it is both fun and a challenge to try to recognize monsters who have appeared in previous pages, or to attempt to stay focused when counting the swirling or bunched creatures. The story has glints of humor, and in combination with the illustrations is a grand addition to the counting shelf. (Picture book. 3-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-201835-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999
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
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