What a gift: Two delectably funny books coming out in April, old-hand Lowry's (below) and this splendid debut. While their parents go to Europe on business, Jazz and her brother Koo are left with wealthy, white-suited Grandpa Putter, whose WW II crony chauffeurs his long white car, and—from the other side—with feisty, down-to-earth Granny Hoe, who runs a hardware store where she also sells her own garden produce. Custody is shared, with the twins at Granny's on weekends, leaving plenty of room for disagreement between the spirited longtime antagonists: to the kids' consternation, their elders' ebullient bickering is continual. Ten varied incidents (Granny fixes Grandpa's car after it strands him; Jazz gets sick; the kids prepare a generous picnic for a homeless person; a parade, etc.) deftly develop several affectionate relationships, especially through the kids' efforts to get everybody together and through the grandparents' sprouting mutual respect. It's all amusingly recorded in Fakih's briskly lilting narrative and neatly cadenced dialogue. Several chapters end with nifty tallies of the characters' points of view (wittily concise, these summaries recall Barbara Porte's tongue-in-cheek humor); meanwhile, the grands' bickering makes a comical stand-in for the more bitter conflicts children endure between parents or siblings. Illustrations plentiful, though not seen in finished form; Pearson's lighthearted style should be perfect here. A delightful early chapter book, well worth reading aloud. (Fiction. 6-10)
Pub Date: April 16, 1992
ISBN: 0-374-32762-9
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
At ``Step 2'' in the useful ``Step into Reading'' series: an admirably clear, well-balanced presentation that centers on wolves' habits and pack structure. Milton also addresses their endangered status, as well as their place in fantasy, folklore, and the popular imagination. Attractive realistic watercolors on almost every page. Top-notch: concise, but remarkably extensive in its coverage. A real bargain. (Nonfiction/Easy reader. 6-10)
Pub Date: April 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-679-91052-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
Trickling, bubbling, swirling, rushing, a river flows down from its mountain beginnings, past peaceful country and bustling city on its way to the sea. Hooper (The Drop in My Drink, 1998, etc.) artfully evokes the water’s changing character as it transforms from “milky-cold / rattling-bold” to a wide, slow “sliding past mudflats / looping through marshes” to the end of its journey. Willey, best known for illustrating Geraldine McCaughrean’s spectacular folk-tale collections, contributes finely detailed scenes crafted in shimmering, intricate blues and greens, capturing mountain’s chill, the bucolic serenity of passing pastures, and a sense of mystery in the water’s shadowy depths. Though Hooper refers to “the cans and cartons / and bits of old wood” being swept along, there’s no direct conservation agenda here (for that, see Debby Atwell’s River, 1999), just appreciation for the river’s beauty and being. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: June 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-7636-0792-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2000
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