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AIDA

Name: AIDA
Author: Leontyne Price
ISBN: 0-15-200405-X

adapted by Leontyne Price ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

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Like last year's Fonteyn/Hyman Swan Lake, an elegant edition narrated by a star long associated with a major work. As Price explains in an eloquent note, she sees Aida as "a portrait of my inner self…[whose] deep devotion and love for her country and for her people - nobility, strength, and courage - are all qualities I aspire to…" Price's unpretentious yet dramatic retelling, like Fonteyn's, reflects her unique intimacy with the role. In their handsome art, the Dillons skillfully combine stylized, rhythmically arranged figures in decorative friezes; larger paintings in which expressive faces are set off by rich backgrounds in collage-like patterns; and unique borders delicately wrought of gold. A dignified tribute to noble tale. (Nonfiction/Picture book. 6+)

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: 0-15-200405-X

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1990

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS

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THIS IS SOCCER

by Margaret Blackstone ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1999

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As two young teams face off, a spare, staccato text relates the ever-changing action on the soccer field. Blackstone starts with the basics: “This is a soccer ball. This is a cleat. And this is a soccer player.” Next, she emphasizes the fancy footwork involved and introduces the teams. Then comes the kickoff, and some “running and jumping, bumping and sliding, . . . dribble, pass, pass, dribble, faster, faster, dribble, pass—KICK! This is an overhead shot.” With a potential goal, the goalie launches himself into space trying to catch the ball, the crowd goes wild, and the ball lands in the net. Blackstone (This Is Maine, 1995, etc.) emphasizes that there’s always more shooting than scoring in soccer; sometimes the final score is “zero to zero.” O’Brien’s illustrations capture the feeling of full-tilt playing, showing quick turns and sudden stops, moving in for close-ups and backing up for a distant pan of the whole field. In a humorous visual subplot, an unperturbed fan sets out his lawn chair on the title page and sleeps through the entire game. It’s a bonus in an already inviting introduction to the fast-paced and fleet-footed game of soccer. (Picture book. 6-10)

Pub Date: April 1, 1999

ISBN: 0-8050-2801-3

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Henry Holt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1999

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS

- BOOK REVIEW
THIS IS MAINE
by Margaret Blackstone & illustrated by John Segal

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THE LOW-DOWN LAUNDRY LINE BLUES

by C.M. Millen ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1999

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A fine counterpoint of wistful ache and be-bop sparkle informs this story about shaking the blues. A girl wakes to an urban morning, her elemental funk reflected in the lonely, sagging laundry line seen across the street from her window. “That’s such a sorrowful line./It’s droppin’ down so lowly/even pigeons pass it by.” Her bubbly sister will not let her mope and tries a little jazzy word music: “Sweet potato!/Rutabaga!/That’ll work fine!/We can play together/with the laundry line!” Her persistence pays off—it’s not long before that piece of rope has been transformed from a study in malaise to a Double-Dutch four-step workout. Davenier’s watercolors are charmingly atmospheric, perfectly suited to Millen’s spirit-raising verse; the two will work magic on any down-at-the-mouth child. (Picture book. 4-8)