edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins and illustrated by David Diaz ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 9, 2010
Cheery, upbeat and accessible—and lovely to boot. Veteran poet and anthologist Hopkins makes good choices among contemporary poets young readers might recognize—Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Marilyn Singer, April Halprin Wayland, to name a few—and a few older names, such as Carl Sandburg and William Shakespeare. The brief (none longer than two pages and some only a few lines) poems are grouped by season, and each gets a page of Diaz’s astonishing illustrations. They pulse with color, leaping off the page. His signature use of pattern echoes Mexican pottery or silhouette, always in mouthwatering incandescent colors that shade into one another. “Winter tames man, woman and beast” says Shakespeare; Anonymous writes of finding a shady spot in “August Heat”: “And sit— / And sit— / And sit— / And sit!” Prince Redcloud makes a shaped autumn poem called “After,” and Elizabeth Upton, in “Summer Sun,” speaks in the sun’s voice: “I linger in the evening / so they can / skip, hop, race / play ball / eat Popsicles…” Good all year round. (Poetry. 7-12)
Pub Date: March 9, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4169-0210-2
Page Count: 96
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Feb. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2010
Share your opinion of this book
More by Lee Bennett Hopkins
BOOK REVIEW
edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins ; illustrated by Jen Corace
BOOK REVIEW
edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins ; illustrated by Ellen Shi
BOOK REVIEW
edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins
by Katherine Applegate ; illustrated by Charles Santoso ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 20, 2022
Rich, naturalistic details will delight lovers of marine life.
A Monterey Bay sea otter comes of age.
Odder’s mom told her to stay away from sharks, humans, and anything else she didn’t understand, but after saving her friend Kairi from a shark attack, she encounters all three. Injured herself during the rescue, Odder ends up recuperating at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, or Highwater as the otters call it, where she once lived as a young orphaned pup. Last time, the humans helped her reintegrate into the wild, but because of her injuries this time the outcome might be different. Soon Kairi is there too, stricken with “the shaking sickness” and having lost her newborn pup. Now Kairi is fostering a new pup, and soon one is introduced to an initially reluctant Odder in hopes that she will help raise it so it can return to the wild. The free verse effortlessly weaves in scientific information, giving Odder a voice without overly anthropomorphizing any of the animals. The natural appeal of sea otters will draw readers in, but the book doesn’t shy away from real-world threats such as predators, disease, and pollution. Loosely based on the stories of real sea otters rehabilitated at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, this novel will give readers lots to talk about, but uneven pacing and a rushed ending may leave some unsatisfied. Charming black-and-white spot art captures the world and life of the sea.
Rich, naturalistic details will delight lovers of marine life. (glossary, author’s note, bibliography, resources) (Verse novel. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-14742-4
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022
Share your opinion of this book
More by Katherine Applegate
BOOK REVIEW
by Katherine Applegate & Gennifer Choldenko ; illustrated by Wallace West
BOOK REVIEW
by Katherine Applegate ; illustrated by Patricia Castelao
BOOK REVIEW
by Katherine Applegate ; illustrated by Charlie Alder
edited by Bobbi Katz & illustrated by Marylin Hafner ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2004
With an eye toward easy memorization, Katz gathers over 50 short poems from the likes of Emily Dickinson, Valerie Worth, Jack Prelutsky, and Lewis Carroll, to such anonymous gems as “The Burp”—“Pardon me for being rude. / It was not me, it was my food. / It got so lonely down below, / it just popped up to say hello.” Katz includes five of her own verses, and promotes an evident newcomer, Emily George, with four entries. Hafner surrounds every selection with fine-lined cartoons, mostly of animals and children engaged in play, reading, or other familiar activities. Amid the ranks of similar collections, this shiny-faced newcomer may not stand out—but neither will it drift to the bottom of the class. (Picture book/poetry. 7-9)
Pub Date: March 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-525-47172-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2004
Share your opinion of this book
More by Bobbi Katz
BOOK REVIEW
by Bobbi Katz and illustrated by Jane Manning
BOOK REVIEW
by Bobbi Katz & illustrated by Deborah Zemke
BOOK REVIEW
by Bobbi Katz & illustrated by LeUyen Pham
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.