Leedy (Celebrate the 50 States!, 1999, etc.) has a gift for presenting concepts wrapped in stories both easily assimilated and engaging. Here, Lisa and her Boston terrier, Penny, last seen in Measuring Penny (1998), tackle maps and mapping. Mr. Jayson, Lisa’s teacher, shows what’s important to include in a map, with illustrations of the map key, symbols, labels, the compass rose, and the scale—each carefully explained. Lisa decides to map her bedroom, complete with all the essential parts. Then she makes a treasure map for all the things Penny has buried in the back yard. She draws a directional map to show how Penny’s doggy friend Maxine takes a short cut to get to Penny’s house, and Lisa uses an odometer and pedometer to map the bike and hiking trails in the park. Not to neglect Penny, she builds a three-dimensional map to show all of Penny’s favorite places to fetch or to bark at squirrels. Lisa dreams of traveling with Penny to faraway places, too. Leedy’s blocky forms and poster paint colors (created with digital painting and photo collage) are a fine foil for the clear text, which teaches without patronizing. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-8050-6178-9
Page Count: -
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PLB 0-7358-1048-6 Is it going to be a good-weather day? That’s the question that all the animals expect Moss the frog to answer; it’s well known that some humans in the neighborhood keep their “weather frog” in a jar. Moss strives mightily, predicting sunny weather right before it rains, and rain just before it clears up. He can’t live up to his reputation, but he can rescue that frog, Olive, imprisoned in the jar, thus turning her into a grateful companion. The tradition, known mostly in Europe, of keeping weather frogs in jars is explained in a note. Black crayon sketches washed with watercolor move the characters across the pages and reflect the full range of their emotions; this playful story may leave readers ready to conduct their own experiments in forecasting the weather—with or without the help of a frog. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-7358-1047-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
From newcomer Braun, a delightful and simple story of how a mother goose goes about producing goslings. The narrator offers a brief physical profile of her farmyard goose, then explains that when Betsy gets the nesting call, she puts together a homey abode of straw and down and fills it with eggs. She sets on the eggs for a month, except for a daily stretch for a nibble and a bath; all the while the gander insures her privacy. And then the goslings emerge. It’s charmingly related in a subdued, musical voice that invests the story with all the natural rhythms of the act. Bendall-Brunello’s artwork is as inviting as the story and makes readers feel very much a part of the process. The earth-toned scenes show all the actions of the geese, creating a lovely link to the natural world and to a way of life that deserves just the kind of admiration generated here. (index) (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-7636-0449-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1999
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