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THE FORT ON FOURTH STREET

Name: THE FORT ON FOURTH STREET
Author: Lois Spangler
ISBN: 978-1-60718-620-5

A STORY ABOUT THE SIX SIMPLE MACHINES

by Lois Spangler ; illustrated by Christina Wald ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2013

Readers will be “plane” inclined to ditch this screw-up.

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An introduction to simple machines that goes wrong at “Fort” and just gets worse.

Wedging the informational content into uncommonly awful verse (“These are the wheels and axles / that move my wagon without hassles”), a young narrator describes each step in the construction of said “fort” (actually, in the bland illustrations, an elaborately designed playhouse). In doing so, the book demonstrates each of six simple machines, mostly tools, in action, though not always in the right order or with much sense to their use. Grandpa, who furnishes most of the labor, really should be levering up rocks to clear the site before, not after, the project’s sawn boards have been assembled, for instance. Moreover, the tools on display include a never-seen-in-use hammer and spirit level, plus a pulley that would be useful for a treehouse but is nonsensical here: “This is the pulley that brings up the treats, / so yummy and sweet that we love to eat.” Looking much larger inside than out in final views, the finished building is furnished as a science lab and in a shocking (shocking) denouement, the owner turns out to be a girl. A visual quiz, explanatory notes and other pedagogical backmatter fill the closing pages.

Readers will be “plane” inclined to ditch this screw-up. (Informational picture book. 7-9)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-60718-620-5

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Sylvan Dell

Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2013

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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THE SPIRIT OF THE SEA

by Rebecca Hainnu ; illustrated by Hwei Lim ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2015

A fresh, if not quite as seamless, alternative to Robert D. and Daniel San Souci’s Song of Sedna (1981).

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A popular Inuit cautionary legend, featuring a haughty young woman and a gruesome climactic twist.

Arnaq will accept no suitor, until a shaman sea bird disguised as a handsome young man sweeps her away with glittering promises to a wretched, reeking tent on a distant shore. When her father arrives to rescue her, the shaman raises such a storm that her terrified dad casts her overboard—and cuts off her fingers to keep her from holding on to the boat. Those fingers are transformed into whales and seals, and she, into a testy spirit named Nuliajuq, who calls up storms on all who “disrespect the land or the sea.” This and other modern-sounding lines (“Eventually Arnaq succumbed to complete depression”) give the otherwise formal narrative a playfully anachronistic air that may or may not be intentional. Lim illustrates the tale in a realistic rather than stylized way, using flowing lines and brush strokes to depict natural settings, faces, Arnaq’s lustrous locks (and, though seen only from a distance, fingerless hands), and a range of accurately detailed arctic and sea animals. In an afterword, the author explains that the sea spirit goes by several regional names; a pronunciation guide to Inuktitut words in this version is also included.

A fresh, if not quite as seamless, alternative to Robert D. and Daniel San Souci’s Song of Sedna (1981). (Picture book/folk tale. 7-9)

Pub Date: March 1, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-927095-75-1

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Inhabit Media

Review Posted Online: Jan. 9, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2015

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
A WALK ON THE SHORELINE
by Rebecca Hainnu ; illustrated by Qin Leng

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THE MIDDLE SHEEP

From the Ernie & Maud series , Vol. 2

by Frances Watts & illustrated by Judy Watson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 2010

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Oh, the curse of being the only child—not adorable like the baby and not smart like the older sibling! Invisible, that’s how Marvelous Maud, sheep sidekick to only-child, newly selected superhero Extraordinary Ernie, feels. Maud decides to adopt a sidekick of her own. Turns out being a sidekick is no job for a middle kitten, bunny, tortoise, horse, goldfish, duckling or mouse, so Maud decides to hold a contest. Along the way, she enjoys hearing the travails of all the middle critters, but she does not notice when Ernie feels left out of the discussion. When the Baxter Branch of the Superheroes Society meets, Ernie’s ennui becomes obvious. Valiant Vera (the bravest and fastest superhero) throws down the gauntlet and bans the argumentative aces until they can work together. Decorated with frequent humorous black-and-white illustrations of winsome animals and adults in leotards, this offering is just right for readers ready for the challenge of a chapter book. Sibling conflict, animals and superheroes are all high on the interest level of young readers, making this a series to watch. (Fiction. 7-9)