There are many ways to make your fortune, as a boy and his father serendipitously find when they relocate to the Klondike wilderness during the gold rush. Noah disobeys his father’s wishes by bringing the family cat, Shadow, on the arduous journey to their new home in gold country. Noah and his Pa must work hard to move the huge bulk of supplies downriver, and Pa condescends to allow Shadow along if she is no trouble, therefore Noah balances his heavy loads with concerns over the beloved kitty. With hard work, courage, and aplomb, the pair reaches their goal in the end only to find the gold claims are either staked already or too expensive. There is no room for sentimentality in the Klondike, and Lawson (Destination Gold!, not reviewed, etc.) never mentions what has happened to the mother, but she uses other realistic touches such as the kitty disappearing into the ship on the first leg of the trip, creating a believable slice of robust American pioneer history. She trudges her characters up hill, down dale, and over a snow-covered mountain to a hard-flowing river. In the end, Shadow brings them luck and financial reward so the trio can start their new lives together after all. Mombourquette’s (Fog Cat, 1999, etc.) illustrations are broad brushed and colorful, evoking the gritty spirit that opened this last frontier. A lengthy historical note includes a synopsis of the actual history of the territory and era addressed in the story. (Picture book 5-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2002
ISBN: 1-55337-013-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2002
Stewart’s latest introduces readers to the habitats of several butterflies found in the U.S., and how people can have a negative impact on them. With its emphasis on conservation, this is more a starting point for generating interest than a source for research. General information is limited to the four life stages of a butterfly. A few brief sentences introduce and summarize the longer sidebar text about each butterfly. The first six focus on the insect’s fascinating eating habits—most eat only one plant type. The last five concentrate less on the species and more on the threat to its survival—pesticides, invasive species, private collections. Finally, readers learn the butterfly’s role in the habitat and are taught how to attract and protect local species. Gorgeous artwork shows up-close portraits of each butterfly, as well as a larger, detailed view of its habitat. Good observers will spot each butterfly, egg or caterpillar within the habitat. While the artwork is worth a look, it does not make up for the heavy-handed conservation message and lack of general information that plagues this text. (bibliography) (Nonfiction. 5-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 1-56145-357-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2006
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Strong rhythms and occasional full or partial rhymes give this account of P.T. Barnum’s 1884 elephant parade across the newly opened Brooklyn Bridge an incantatory tone. Catching a whiff of public concern about the new bridge’s sturdiness, Barnum seizes the moment: “’I will stage an event / that will calm every fear, erase every worry, / about that remarkable bridge. / My display will amuse, inform / and astound some. / Or else my name isn’t Barnum!’” Using a rich palette of glowing golds and browns, Roca imbues the pachyderms with a calm solidity, sending them ambling past equally solid-looking buildings and over a truly monumental bridge—which soars over a striped Big Top tent in the final scene. A stately rendition of the episode, less exuberant, but also less fictionalized, than Phil Bildner’s Twenty-One Elephants (2004), illustrated by LeUyen Pham. (author’s note, resource list) (Picture book. 7-9)
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2005
ISBN: 0-618-44887-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2005
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