It’s not the worst way to introduce some new, unusual words, but this is unlikely to stimulate repeat readings.
Sprinklers say the darnedest things.
Let’s backtrack. Sprinklers are blob-shaped critters of diverse size and color who are helpers of the Sprinkle Fairy. They appear in each of the six brief, unrelated stories about a boy named Cris and his cat, Crat, to introduce, with fanfare (“Big Word! Big Word!”), an unfamiliar word to emergent and early-middle-grade readers. There’s an arbitrary feel to the presentation, as though the tales were constructed around the words. The words are ones readers may not have realized they might want to know: “purloined,” “discombobulated,” “bamboozled,” “smithereens,” and “galoshes.” More commonplace words in the stories that young children may feel are equally important, including “wizard,” “fairy,” or “sprinkle,” aren’t singled out (although, granted, they aren’t as big). Each new word gets special treatment: It’s used several times in context, sometimes in different forms; a pronunciation guide is provided; and it’s defined at the story’s conclusion. The final tale reinforces all the new vocabulary. Perhaps due to this conceit, the stories are only faintly amusing, with endings that fall flat. The cartoon illustrations, however, reminiscent of those in Mo Willems’ Elephant & Piggie books, are whimsical, expressive, and appealing, and they feature ample white space and capitalized sound effects. Cris and the Sprinkle Fairy are both pale-skinned, but depicted groups are diverse.
It’s not the worst way to introduce some new, unusual words, but this is unlikely to stimulate repeat readings. (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-77138-788-0
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This appealing introduction can serve as a springboard for further investigations.
A boy, a girl and a dog demonstrate that things float in water when they are less dense than the water around them.
Adler, who has demystified math for young readers for years in titles ranging from Roman Numerals (1977) to Millions, Billions, and Trillions (2013) turns his attention to physics with this simple but effective explanation of principles of flotation and density. His clear, logical text invites readers to experiment with different objects, to shape boats, and to make both ice and salt water mixtures. Raff’s illustrations take this invitation further, showing a pair of children using toy boats, plastic bottles, pennies, aluminum foil, clay and ice to discover what things float and why. These digitally combined ink washes and drawings add interest and some humor, supporting and enriching the text, except on one page. There, a line showing the water level of a bottle to which salt has been added seems to show that the water level has risen though the author makes clear that the level should not change. Curiously, the series of experiments stops at that point rather than continuing with the denser salt water, as good teachers would encourage children to do.
This appealing introduction can serve as a springboard for further investigations. (Informational picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-8234-2862-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2013
Beatrice, whose own name is a bit of a L-U-L-U, is totally charming, and the story and artwork are a P-E-R-F-E-C-T M-A-T-C-H.
With email making the art of letter writing almost obsolete and texting turning spelling into truncated babble, this picture book is a clever and refreshing antidote.
Beatrice likes to make letters—not the mail kind, but the kind that form words—correctly. While she knows her alphabet and can write all the letters, her problem is putting them in the right order. Her grandma Nanny Hannah comes to her rescue and shows her a technique. Voilà, the more Beatrice spells (even words that are L-U-L-Us), the more she learns how words are put together. “That’s my spelling Bea,” says Nanny Hannah. Enthusiastic about her newly found skill, Beatrice launches a spelling campaign, correcting all the misspelled signs in town, but when she tries to start a spelling club, none of the kids are interested. That is, until her dictionary sparks an idea. The next day, when it’s her turn for show and tell, she changes the spelling on the blackboard to show and spell! Her report on her pet T-A-R-A-N-T-U-L-A and its T-E-R-R-A-R-I-U-M home is a huge hit, turning the whole class into spelling bugs. Potter’s quirky illustrations have just the right childlike quality to complement the text, cleverly incorporating amusing details. The ending neatly ties up the storyline with Beatrice writing a real letter, the kind that begins with “Dear Somebody.”
Beatrice, whose own name is a bit of a L-U-L-U, is totally charming, and the story and artwork are a P-E-R-F-E-C-T M-A-T-C-H. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-374-39904-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: July 2, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2013
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