Spirited and often exciting, if a little ragged.
When the weather gets rough, Grandma takes the helm.
The clanging of the bell buoy indicates choppy water, but that doesn't deter Grandma from her planned adventure with Little Billy. It's Labor Day, so she has the day off. (Most every other day she's running her trash-hauling/snowplow business.) She and Billy are going to relax in the lobsterboat while her son Bill (who has a wee problem with seasickness) tends to the catch. A thick fog rolls in just as it's time to head back. But Bill is weak-kneed in the stern of the lobsterboat, and Billy can't raise uncles Buster or Burt by phone. There's only one thing to do: With Little Billy as her eyes, Grandma takes the helm. It's a heart-stopping ride, swerving past the buoy and veering away from the rocks that support the lighthouse. Thanks to Grandma and Little Billy, the Labor Day lobster bake is a great success, and she rewards him with the biggest lobster he's ever seen. Clark's text is ample, and, while giving empowerment to senior citizens, the tone is consistently tongue-in-cheek. Many of Huntington's seascapes benefit by filling two wide pages. Some readers will wonder at plot holes, including the fact that savvy Grandma relies on her seasick son in the first place.
Spirited and often exciting, if a little ragged. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-60893-004-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Down East
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
As the opening line says, “This story happened long, long ago, but that is all the more reason for telling it again, lest it...
A fresh version of Andersen’s tender tale is illustrated with delicate watercolors.
This retelling, first published in Switzerland (and with an uncredited translation), is straightforward, allowing the soft, muted artwork to accent the details and ambiance. When the Emperor of China hears there is a nightingale that sings beautiful songs in his garden and he’s never heard of it, he commands that the bird be brought to him to sing. The little gray bird’s singing brings tears to his eyes, and the Emperor declares that the bird must remain at court. So it does, until the day the Emperor of Japan sends a mechanical bird encrusted with jewels, claiming his is better. From then on the mechanical bird is favored and the real nightingale forgotten—until years later, when the Emperor buys on his deathbed and the precious bejeweled bird breaks. The little gray nightingale flies to him and sings, bringing him back to life. Vainio’s illustrations vary from double- and full-page spreads to small vignettes that help to break up the lengthy text blocks. The palette of light pastels elegantly captures the medieval Chinese setting and provides an effective background for the plain-colored bird with a beautiful voice.
As the opening line says, “This story happened long, long ago, but that is all the more reason for telling it again, lest it be forgotten. (Picture book/fairy tale. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7358-4029-4
Page Count: 44
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2011
The diminutive humans’ unhesitating generosity to one in need adds a warm glow to this gourmand’s delight.
A dismayed lad learns that 10 slices of pizza, 33 jars of peanut butter and 200 cookies are only hors d’oeuvres for a peckish giant. What to do?
Looking decidedly woebegone in Nielsen’s very simple, graphic-style illustrations, the towering giant that silently appears in the backyard sports a reversible sign: “Food” on one side, “Please” on the other. With repeated choruses of “Seriously, you aren’t going to believe this,” and “It’s back to the kitchen for me,” the well-intentioned young narrator nearly empties his astonishingly well-stocked fridge. (His dog, Cowgirl, provides a running side commentary: “That’s one thirsty giant.”) Until, at last, Mom steps in and sets to work concocting a “Ginormous Blueberry Muffin,” “Mega-Pigs in Blankets” and like oversized dishes—all of which are provided with reasonably nutritious “Recipes for a hungry giant (or 8 little kids)” on a flimsy detachable flier. Besides the aforementioned signboard, the sparse but well-designed moveable parts include a pull-up giant on the front cover, a swimming pool filled with chocolate milk that’s slurped up thanks to a pull tab and a big climactic pop-up of the now-smiling giant contemplating a table filled with properly scaled chow.
The diminutive humans’ unhesitating generosity to one in need adds a warm glow to this gourmand’s delight. (Pop-up. 6-8)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7611-5752-6
Page Count: 30
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: Oct. 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2011
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