The doyennes of the double meaning offer a third visit to the Missouri hamlet of Geyser Creek, whose residents are now regarding two crises. One is middle-school Principal Wally Russ’s “Proposal” to Flo Waters, which he supposes is only to cut down a century-old weeping willow to save his job (she thinks otherwise); the other a bitter culinary rivalry between the Geyser Creek Café’s Angel Fisch and Chef Angelo of newly opened Caffè Angelo that has blossomed into a town-wide split between the sexes. As in previous episodes, these and other intertwined plotlines are entirely leafed out through letters, memos, newspaper reports and ads, archival documents and chalkboard notes, all printed in various typefaces with the occasional ink-and-wash vignette grafted in. Led by crusading classmate Minnie “Ax not! It’s what you can do for your country” O., the six sixth-graders plant themselves right in the middle of it all, and by the end have helped to save the tree, nip the bad report of school inspector Leif Blite in the bud and turn intended “weedings” into multiple “weddings.” Consistently clever and often hilarious, this and its series mates may well become perennial favorites with young readers. (Fiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-15-205163-5
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Gulliver/Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2005
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Miranda’s book counts the monsters gathering at a birthday party, while a simple rhyming text keeps the tally and surveys the action: “Seven starved monsters are licking the dishes./Eight blow out candles and make birthday wishes.” The counting proceeds to ten, then by tens to fifty, then gradually returns to one, which makes the monster’s mother, a purple pin-headed octopus, very happy. The book is surprisingly effective due to Powell’s artwork; the color has texture and density, as if it were poured onto the page, but the real attention-getter is the singularity of every monster attendee. They are highly individual and, therefore, eminently countable. As the numbers start crawling upward, it is both fun and a challenge to try to recognize monsters who have appeared in previous pages, or to attempt to stay focused when counting the swirling or bunched creatures. The story has glints of humor, and in combination with the illustrations is a grand addition to the counting shelf. (Picture book. 3-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-201835-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999
The Pumpkin Book (32 pp.; $16.95; Sept. 15; 0-8234-1465-5): From seed to vine and blossom to table, Gibbons traces the growth cycle of everyone’s favorite autumn symbol—the pumpkin. Meticulous drawings detail the transformation of tiny seeds to the colorful gourds that appear at roadside stands and stores in the fall. Directions for planting a pumpkin patch, carving a jack-o’-lantern, and drying the seeds give young gardeners the instructions they need to grow and enjoy their own golden globes. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1999
ISBN: 0-8234-1465-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
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