by Kathy Henderson & illustrated by Paul Howard ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 1996
A light, affectionate counterpart to the many essays on the changing seasons' natural signals, this book of months focuses on signs more evident in an urban environment: merchants shoveling sidewalks as cars slide past on slick January streets; sparrows lining their nests with candy wrappers in April; August vacationers driving off in droves as clots of camera-toting tourists appear. Softened lines and warm, muted colors impart an air both intimate and celebratory to Howard's generic (but plainly inspired by New York) cityscapes. It's a sunny view of city life: July's street fair is littered—but it's clean litter—and there are plenty of happy faces and multiracial groups of playing children to be seen (though glimpses of street people add a dose of reality). Henderson's unforced rhythms and occasional rhymes give her descriptions an inviting lilt: ``The year's turning./See the people dance/and kiss and sing?/Hear the bells ring/and the cars honk?/Here's January again./The years keep turning.'' (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1996
ISBN: 1-56402-872-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1996
Share your opinion of this book
More by Kathy Henderson
BOOK REVIEW
by Kathy Henderson & illustrated by Pam Smy
BOOK REVIEW
by Kathy Henderson & illustrated by Paul Howard
BOOK REVIEW
adapted by Kathy Henderson & illustrated by Jane Ray
by Shirley Redmond & illustrated by Simon Sullivan ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2004
This easy reader for children reading at the fluency level recounts the story of a girl named Mary Ann Anning and her dog, Tray. They lived on the coast of England in the early 1800s, although the time frame is given only as “a long, long time ago.” Mary Ann and Tray became famous for their discoveries of fossils, including dinosaur bones. They discovered the first pterodactyl found in England, and the name was assigned to their fossil. The story focuses a little too much on the dog, and the title misses a great opportunity to completely acknowledge a girl accomplishing something important in the scientific world, especially in a much earlier era and without formal training or education. Despite this drawback, both Mary Ann and Tray are appealing characters and the discovery of the fossils and subsequent notice from scientists, collectors, and even royalty is appealing and well written. Sullivan’s illustrations provide intriguing period details in costumes, tools, and buildings, as well as a clever front endpaper of fossil-strewn ground covered with muddy paw prints. (Easy reader. 6-8)
Pub Date: July 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-689-85708-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2004
Share your opinion of this book
by Dominic Walliman ; illustrated by Ben Newman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 4, 2018
Energetic enough to carry younger rocketeers off the launch pad if not into a very high orbit.
The bubble-helmeted feline explains what rockets do and the role they have played in sending people (and animals) into space.
Addressing a somewhat younger audience than in previous outings (Professor Astro Cat’s Frontiers of Space, 2013, etc.), Astro Cat dispenses with all but a light shower of “factoroids” to describe how rockets work. A highly selective “History of Space Travel” follows—beginning with a crew of fruit flies sent aloft in 1947, later the dog Laika (her dismal fate left unmentioned), and the human Yuri Gagarin. Then it’s on to Apollo 11 in 1969; the space shuttles Discovery, Columbia, and Challenger (the fates of the latter two likewise elided); the promise of NASA’s next-gen Orion and the Space Launch System; and finally vague closing references to other rockets in the works for local tourism and, eventually, interstellar travel. In the illustrations the spacesuited professor, joined by a mouse and cat in similar dress, do little except float in space and point at things. Still, the art has a stylish retro look, and portraits of Sally Ride and Guion Bluford diversify an otherwise all-white, all-male astronaut corps posing heroically or riding blocky, geometric spacecraft across starry reaches.
Energetic enough to carry younger rocketeers off the launch pad if not into a very high orbit. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-911171-55-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Flying Eye Books
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018
Share your opinion of this book
More In The Series
by Dominic Walliman ; illustrated by Ben Newman
by Dominic Walliman ; illustrated by Ben Newman
More by Dominic Walliman
BOOK REVIEW
by Dominic Walliman ; illustrated by Ben Newman
BOOK REVIEW
by Dominic Walliman ; illustrated by Ben Newman
BOOK REVIEW
by Dominic Walliman & Ben Newman ; illustrated by Ben Newman
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.