While his moms chat with a friend in the park, the narrator (in spritely verse that emulates Dr. Seuss with somewhat mixed success) wanders into the zoo, where ``...I saw a tame Zark./The Zark is so rare,/They once thought it extinct./But the Zark seemed to like me./She saw me...and winked.'' After a friendly game of catch with the dinosaur-like Zark (the kid is the ball), he realizes he's lost; worse, the McFinks, who volunteer to help him find his parents, are horrified that they are both moms (``It's wrong! It's a Sin! Not at all how I think!/The only true family's a family like ours:/With a mom, and a dad, and two kids, and two cars''). The McFinks are about to force the unwilling boy on new parents when the Zark intervenes; and before he gets back to his own moms, he meets a nice couple who explain that ``real families come/In all forms and all sizes''—with plenty of diverse examples. Lopez debuts here with sunny colors and a dynamic cartoon style that helps propel the story as much as the witty, rhythmic text. An entertaining way to state a message that's more straightforwardly conveyed in photos of actual families in Aylette Jenness's Families: A Celebration of Diversity, Commitment and Love (1990). (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1993
ISBN: 1-55583-236-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Alyson
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 1993
A book that will make young dog-owners smile in recognition and confirm dogless readers' worst suspicions about the mayhem caused by pets, even winsome ones. Sam, who bears passing resemblance to an affable golden retriever, is praised for fetching the family newspaper, and goes on to fetch every other newspaper on the block. In the next story, only the children love Sam's swimming; he is yelled at by lifeguards and fishermen alike when he splashes through every watering hole he can find. Finally, there is woe to the entire family when Sam is bored and lonely for one long night. Boland has an essential message, captured in both both story and illustrations of this Easy-to-Read: Kids and dogs belong together, especially when it's a fun-loving canine like Sam. An appealing tale. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-8037-1530-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1996
Sloat collaborates with Huffman, a Yu’pik storyteller, to infuse a traditional “origins” tale with the joy of creating. Hearing the old women of her village grumble that they have only tasteless crowberries for the fall feast’s akutaq—described as “Eskimo ice cream,” though the recipe at the end includes mixing in shredded fish and lard—young Anana carefully fashions three dolls, then sings and dances them to life. Away they bound, to cover the hills with cranberries, blueberries, and salmonberries. Sloat dresses her smiling figures in mixes of furs and brightly patterned garb, and sends them tumbling exuberantly through grassy tundra scenes as wildlife large and small gathers to look on. Despite obtrusively inserted pronunciations for Yu’pik words in the text, young readers will be captivated by the action, and by Anana’s infectious delight. (Picture book/folktale. 6-8)
Pub Date: June 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-88240-575-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2004
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