A girl recalls a memorable summer when she, her grandparents, and her friend Robert find an injured seagull they name Grayboy. The gull becomes a part of their days of shell-collecting and sandcastle-building as they hunt crabs and catch minnows to feed him. One day a storm catches Robert and his father stuck out in their fishing boat because of engine problems. Everyone is worried, but the two survive with just bruises. The girl compares Robert’s injuries to those of Grayboy’s, but when they find the gull, he is dead, half-covered in the sand. As the children bury him, they want to cry but don’t because Grayboy gave them a happy summer just as they gave him one. Basing her story on personal experience, the author says, “the book was written to celebrate the beauty and wonder of Peconic Bay, Long Island.” Full-bleed gouache illustrations face each page of boxed, slightly long text that includes additional spot art. They express the sand, water, and warmth of beach days and softly underscore the message of nature appreciation that is also unobtrusively woven into the story. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: June 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-8050-6411-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2002
Proving even pooped piggies are ready to party, this will make children want to join in.
A noisy barnyard is no place for a nap!
Poor pig, all he wants to do is take a short snooze. However, there seems to be something going on around him. Each of his farm friends is making noise of one kind or another. “Hen wants to saw.” “Dog wants to tap.” “Hog wants to hum.” Pig looks closer and closer to fainting from exhaustion until he spies some drinking straws and has an idea. He sinks himself in his mud puddle and breathes through a straw snorkel. He’s finally able to catch some Z’s…but all those barnyard noises had a purpose: prep for a piggy birthday celebration. So much for napping! Long’s entry in the I Like to Read series tells its simple tale in 47 words, nearly all of which are of the single-syllable, easy-to-sound-out variety. Bright pastel-and-primary full-bleed illustrations featuring big-eyed farm folk will keep eyes on the page during storytime or guided independent reading. The visual humor and the easy-reading text make this a winner for readers just starting out.
Proving even pooped piggies are ready to party, this will make children want to join in. (Early reader. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8234-2428-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 29, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2012
There are 17 kinds of penguins in the Southern Hemisphere, and Gibbons (The Art Box, p. 1034, etc.) introduces them all in this appealing beginning science title. She describes their general life cycle, from the courtship and nest-building of the parents to the hatching of the young, their growth, and adulthood. The handsome illustrations in watercolor and ink are framed with icy blue and white borders. Awkward birds waddle on the glaciers, huddle against subzero temperatures, and glide in frigid waters; downy chicks peer from between their parents’ feet while lumpish fuzzy adolescent penguins wait for their parents to return with food. Gibbons also describes the threat to penguins from pollution, hunting, and tourists. A handsome, sensibly simple title on a popular creature. (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1998
ISBN: 0-8234-1388-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1998
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