Sure to be prominently displayed in gift shops all over Scotland, this might be useful in the States for Scottish expats or...
Another niche alphabet book, this one is an exercise in pairing Scottish words or items with each of the 26 letters.
As is common in ABC books with a narrow focus or theme, some word choices are obvious, while others are unusual or even odd. With one word (or short phrase) per page, the text is dependent on the illustrations to provide context and entertainment. These are colorful and appealing, featuring a family (Dad carries a toddler in a front pouch) with a Scottie dog interspersed here and there. Adding them to more of the scenes would have livened up the visual interest; the Castles page has no people in it, for instance (though there’s that Scottie). Unsurprising word choices include: Kilt, Loch, Queen of Scots, Thistle and Umbrella. On the other hand, Forth Bridge, John O’Groats, Midgies, Whiskey, and “Very, very wet” seem like a stretch. The challenging letter X is the saltire cross on the Scottish flag. Some will be disappointed to see that H is for Highland cow, not Haggis. The two-page glossary in the back will help to clear up some confusion; it informs readers that a “midgie is a biting insect that lives in Scotland.”
Sure to be prominently displayed in gift shops all over Scotland, this might be useful in the States for Scottish expats or families preparing for a trip. (Alphabet picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: May 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-7825-0003-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Floris
Review Posted Online: Feb. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2014
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
Leave this one on the shelf. (Picture book. 5-8)
Food puns and idioms abound in this bullying story.
Anthropomorphic fruit Bad Apple is indeed a bad apple, fond of teasing and scaring other foods such as Romaine, who “wilts in fear” after being startled. With sidekick Second Banana, Bad Apple torments others; meanwhile, empathetic Good Egg tells Zucchini it’s because Sour Grapes (who never appears in the illustrations nor in the text outside of this mention) called Bad Apple names and excluded him. The wordplay may engage readers, and the author’s note translates all of the idioms to confirm their meanings, but the illustrations verge on the garish, depicting the various foodstuffs with hard outlines, shiny surfaces, pipestem limbs, and cartoon facial features. Furthermore, their lockstep redundancy with the text leaves little scope for the imagination. Worst, the ease with which Good Egg helps transform Bad Apple into a good guy (if not in name) simply by inviting him to play rings false. Would that it were so easy to reform a bully—or, perhaps, would that the burden of reformation weren’t so often placed on victims in contemporary stories and discourse about bullying and kindnesses.
Leave this one on the shelf. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-7643-5603-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Schiffer
Review Posted Online: July 29, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
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