by John Lithgow & illustrated by C.F. Payne ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2000
A welcome debut from an accomplished actor, the remarkable Lithgow. Limerick-like rhyming text recounts the tale of a musical prodigy, Farkle McBride, who from age three, masters, then discards, instrument after instrument in the quest to satisfy his musical passions. Beginning with the violin Lithgow provides unique onomatopoeic tones for the instruments: “He went Reedle-ee, Deedle-ee, Deedle-ee Dee with all the strings at his side.” The trombone: “ He went Vroom-pety, Doom-pety, Doom-pety Doom . . .” and percussion: “ He went Boom, Bash, Clang-a-ma Clash! All the clamor that he could provide.” Yet the older McBride grows, the more dissatisfied he becomes with his accomplishments until finally given the opportunity to conduct, “his happy heart sings, / To brass, drums, winds, and strings, / And remarkable Farkle’s at last SATISFIED.” The story ends with a sweeping, dramatic, four-page panoramic gatefold featuring the proud ten-year-old standing on a symphony hall stage in front of an entire orchestra. Payne’s (True Heart, 1999) humorous mixed-media illustrations feature characters with oversized heads and exaggerated features, changing points-of-view, and a variety of textures. Often the text is set on a background of giant notes and the format itself is as outsized as Farkle’s personality. Encore! (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-689-83340-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2000
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by Anne Rockwell ; illustrated by Lizzy Rockwell ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 25, 2018
Black and brown nature lovers, here’s one to read and share
Mother-daughter author-illustrator team Anne (who passed away in April 2018) and Lizzy Rockwell have crafted a quiet story that positively portrays a black family spending time in nature. While this shouldn’t be a news flash in 2018, it is.
A black family—mom, dad, and daughter—drives 20 minutes away from their suburb for a day hike up Hickory Hill, where they enjoy the flora, fauna, and autumnal changes. The higher they climb, the sparser the vegetation becomes until they reach the summit and take in the expansive views. This picture book offers a rare snapshot of a family of color spending quality family time in the woods. Since they think they are lost at one point, perhaps they have not hiked often, but this does not dampen their enthusiasm. Several animals make an appearance in the watercolor illustrations, done in a soft, mostly pastel palette, including a porcupine, birds, a deer, a chipmunk, and a toad. The young female narrator describes the woodpecker she sees as redheaded; this, too, suggests that she hasn’t done much bird-watching since the bird is a pileated woodpecker, and a kid who had grown up birding would know it by both sound and sight. Still, readers will appreciate the daughter’s delight as she chooses the trail to hike and really notices her surroundings.
Black and brown nature lovers, here’s one to read and share . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 25, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4814-2737-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
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by Sheila Hamanaka ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 1994
This heavily earnest celebration of multi-ethnicity combines full-bleed paintings of smiling children, viewed through a golden haze dancing, playing, planting seedlings, and the like, with a hyperbolic, disconnected text—``Dark as leopard spots, light as sand,/Children buzz with laughter that kisses our land...''— printed in wavy lines. Literal-minded readers may have trouble with the author's premise, that ``Children come in all the colors of the earth and sky and sea'' (green? blue?), and most of the children here, though of diverse and mixed racial ancestry, wear shorts and T-shirts and seem to be about the same age. Hamanaka has chosen a worthy theme, but she develops it without the humor or imagination that animates her Screen of Frogs (1993). (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-688-11131-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1994
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