Back from Beyond the Burning Lands (1971) Luke is installed as Prince of Winchester (one of the almost medieval cities which has arisen in the geographically and genetically deranged post-Disaster world). But his stubborn pride causes a mutiny among the Captains when he orders the unfaithful Lady Blodwen and her lover Edmund imprisoned, and Luke becomes an exile — journeying to the home of the Seers (possessors of the ancient scientific knowledge disguised as a spiritualist religion). The army Luke gathers to regain his kingdom is based on a Combination of the Seers' technology (Sten guns and mortars) and the soldiers provided by his Wilsh father-in-law-to-be (whose code of honor demands that he aid in Blodwen's recovery). Though Luke is momentarily moved to pity by the Christians' willingness to sacrifice themselves in front of his mortars, it's obvious that he intends to use the newly revived machines to build a Wilsh power base. Once again, since Luke's static and unsympathetic personality inhibits emotional involvement, it's the exotic backgrounds (mixing castles and cinema screens, kings and polymufs) and the game of figuring out what the author is trying to say about Science that must be relied upon to hold the reader's interest.
Pub Date: April 1, 1972
ISBN: 0020425740
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1972
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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