Merlin Tuttle, the ``Batman'' subject of this brief biography, dates his enthusiasm for biology to capturing a toad at the age of two. At nine he was keeping a notebook of his wildlife observations and memorizing the scientific names of all the mammals of California. Bat advocate, photographer, researcher, author, and founder of Bat Conservation International, Dr. Tuttle is an excellent example of a contemporary working scientist. Pringles includes fascinating tidbits about bats and their importance to the balance of nature; Tuttle's close-up color photos are stunning. Further reading; index.~(Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: March 29, 1991
ISBN: 0-684-19232-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Scribner
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1991
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
When Callie, staying with her Aunt Lil for the summer, finds that her beloved grandmother is in the last stages of life, she must overcome her fear and sorrow in order to help Gramma let go. Gramma confuses Callie with her own dead sister, Carrie, who she believes has come to escort her to the other side, and—painful as it is to have her grandmother mistake her for Carrie—Callie goes along with the delusion. As the days pass, she also restores Gramma's yard to its original condition, and in the process finds new peace within herself to face the inevitable loss. Though Smith hasn't created a particularly believable voice (Callie thinks, acts, and speaks in a manner younger than her 13 years), her spare first novel imparts a comforting message about saying goodbye. (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 29, 1993
ISBN: 0-689-31877-4
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1993
The author of Mama, Let's Dance (1991) takes readers down yet another rocky road in a story of contemporary restlessness. When her mother tells 11-year-old ``Sam'' (Samantha) about their impending move, the girl embraces the idea, particularly since their destination is her grandfather's Colorado ranch. Life has disappointed Sam, yet she hopes things will work out, this time. And they do: her grandparents' welcome is warm; she finds a soulmate, learns to ride, and genuinely settles in. But Sam must choose between this idyllic existence and the instability of life with her mother. Hermes poises her main character between poles of compassion and selfishness, then doesn't make clear Sam's reasons for choosing the comfortless extreme. Though the implication is that someone to count on long distance is better than no one to count on at all, Sam's dearly bought emotional growth lacks a convincing resolution. Nonetheless, Hermes's storytelling makes an effective hook; steer those who relate to this drama on to MacLachlan's compelling, beautifully crafted Journey (1992). (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-316-35925-4
Page Count: 184
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 1993
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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