The indomitable heroine of two previous picture books returns to provide readers with her own take on environmentalism: “Nature is something I know lots about. We’ve got lots of it in our backyard.” Joined with her old nemesis, Robert Granger, by her new nemesis, the humorless Mrs. Wilberton, on a school project about snails and worms, she nevertheless manages to put her own individual stamp on it when her brother Kurt stages a sit-in to protest the cutting down of a neighborhood tree. Child’s signature style (Clarice Bean, Guess Who’s Babysitting, 2001, etc.), which combines cartoony line-and-watercolor figures with photographic collage, is, if possible, even more unrestrained than in her previous outings. Mrs. Wilberton looks like a spiky cross between Viola Swamp and Ms. Frizzle (her glasses bristle with malevolent energy), while Clarice’s businessman father appears complete with five o’clock shadow. The typeface is fully integrated with the overall design—each character speaks in an individualized font—and frequently spirals wildly over the page, even as the story itself goes wackily over the top. Clarice’s precocious voice is nearly perfect, as she parrots half-understood adult phrases in her own narration: “Dad would much rather cook for a living but he’s up to his ears in the wheeling and dealing business and someone’s got to bring home the bacon.” At the end, Clarice Bean declares herself an ecowarrior, and while child readers are likely to be as unclear on that concept as Clarice herself is, the busy illustrations, the frenetic pacing, and the crazed good humor with which Clarice’s whole family involves itself in the protest will elicit (though less reluctantly) the same praise given by Mrs. Wilberton: “Well done, Clarice Bean!” (Picture book. 6-9)
Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-7636-1696-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Adventure, humor, and smart, likable characters make for a winning chapter book.
Ada Twist’s incessant stream of questions leads to answers that help solve a neighborhood crisis.
Ada conducts experiments at home to answer questions such as, why does Mom’s coffee smell stronger than Dad’s coffee? Each answer leads to another question, another hypothesis, and another experiment, which is how she goes from collecting data on backyard birds for a citizen-science project to helping Rosie Revere figure out how to get her uncle Ned down from the sky, where his helium-filled “perilous pants” are keeping him afloat. The Questioneers—Rosie the engineer, Iggy Peck the architect, and Ada the scientist—work together, asking questions like scientists. Armed with knowledge (of molecules and air pressure, force and temperature) but more importantly, with curiosity, Ada works out a solution. Ada is a recognizable, three-dimensional girl in this delightfully silly chapter book: tirelessly curious and determined yet easily excited and still learning to express herself. If science concepts aren’t completely clear in this romp, relationships and emotions certainly are. In playful full- and half-page illustrations that break up the text, Ada is black with Afro-textured hair; Rosie and Iggy are white. A closing section on citizen science may inspire readers to get involved in science too; on the other hand, the “Ode to a Gas!” may just puzzle them. Other backmatter topics include the importance of bird study and the threat palm-oil use poses to rainforests.
Adventure, humor, and smart, likable characters make for a winning chapter book. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: April 16, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3422-9
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
In first-person voice, Aldrin highlights points from his childhood that led to his dream of being an astronaut and making the historic moon landing. Coincidental details like his mother’s maiden name, “Moon,” and his favorite movie hero, the “Lone Ranger,” suggest clues to his destiny. After West Point, he joined the Air Force because “he wanted to fly more than anything.” Minor’s usual beautiful and realistic illustrations effectively convey spatial perspectives and movement, adding depth to the narrative. However, the cover design and type layout are confusing, indicative of a biography instead of an autobiography—a brief intro could have clarified it. Aldrin’s message in an author’s note avows, “If you set your sights high, you may accomplish more than you ever dreamed.” Pair this with Don Brown’s One Giant Step for a child’s-eye view on space exploration. (Flight/space exploration chronology) (Picture book/biography. 6-9)
Pub Date: June 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-06-055445-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2005
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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