by John G. Keller & illustrated by Henry Cole ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2008
Thanks to his mother’s accidental ingestion of a rubber band, the duckling dubbed “Five” hatches out with one stretchable leg and a “Bing-boing” rather than a “Quack.” The other farm animals make fun of him, but Mama assures him that “you are different from the others, but you are my special ducky, and that means you can do special, wonderful things.” Indeed, when a fox comes along one night, Five proves his mettle by sounding the alarm and helping to drive the predator off. The plot is a bit thin, but it’s impossible not to like such a clever, heroic ducky, and in Cole’s pleasant rural scenes Five—sporting a squiggly leg that makes the “disability” theme even more explicit than Mama’s comment—is joined by expressive, cleanly drawn sibs and other livestock. All in all, this is closer in spirit and audience appeal to Jane Simmons’s Daisy tales than the classic “Ugly Duckling.” (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: April 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-15-205289-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2008
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by Alex Vern & illustrated by Alex Vern ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2001
The lifecycle of the frog is succinctly summarized in this easy reader for children reading at the late first-grade level. In just one or two sentences per page, Vern details the amazing metamorphosis of the frog from egg to tadpole to adult, even injecting a little humor despite the tight word count. (“Watch out fly! Mmmm!) Large, full-color photographs on white backgrounds clearly illustrate each phase of development. Without any mention of laying eggs or fertilization, the title might be a bit misleading, but the development from black dot egg to full-grown frog is fascinating. A simple chart of the three main lifecycle steps is also included. Lifecycles are part of the standard curriculum in the early elementary grades, and this will be a welcome addition to school and public libraries, both for its informational value and as an easy reader. (Nonfiction/easy reader. 5-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-15-216304-2
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Green Light/Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2001
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by Tedd Arnold ; illustrated by Tedd Arnold ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2013
A first-rate sharkfest, unusually nutritious for all its brevity.
Buzz and his buzzy buddy open a spinoff series of nonfiction early readers with an aquarium visit.
Buzz: “Like other fish, sharks breathe through gills.” Fly Guy: “GILLZZ.” Thus do the two pop-eyed cartoon tour guides squire readers past a plethora of cramped but carefully labeled color photos depicting dozens of kinds of sharks in watery settings, along with close-ups of skin, teeth and other anatomical features. In the bite-sized blocks of narrative text, challenging vocabulary words like “carnivores” and “luminescence” come with pronunciation guides and lucid in-context definitions. Despite all the flashes of dentifrice and references to prey and smelling blood in the water, there is no actual gore or chowing down on display. Sharks are “so cool!” proclaims Buzz at last, striding out of the gift shop. “I can’t wait for our next field trip!” (That will be Fly Guy Presents: Space, scheduled for September 2013.)
A first-rate sharkfest, unusually nutritious for all its brevity. (Informational easy reader. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-545-50771-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
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