by Loreen Leedy & Pat Street & illustrated by Loreen Leedy ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 15, 2003
As the subtitle indicates, this is a compendium of familiar and not-so-familiar sayings that have to do with animals, from “we’re off like a herd of turtles” to “the tail end.” The design is purposely busy, packing all 440 sayings into 48 meager pages by allowing them to spill onto the title page, index, and colophon, although most are confined to the body of the book and organized thematically, from “Around the House” to “Under the Waves.” The sayings are illustrated by bright vignettes that differ in style to provide both variety and to suit the saying, and frequently interact. So, “as crazy as a cuckoo” is illustrated by a wacky-looking bird popping out of a classically Swiss clock; this contrasts with “Watch it like a hawk,” which features a proud raptor with gaze fixed, X-ray vision–like, on a “nest egg” filled with C-notes. Each saying is glossed—“Don’t cast your pearls before swine” becomes “Don’t waste something good on people who can’t appreciate it”—and these paraphrases very rarely rely themselves on idiomatic expressions, making them clear and easy to understand. An authors’ note at the beginning explains the different types of sayings, from simile and metaphor to idiom and proverb. The serious philologist might wish for origins to the expressions contained herein, but there’s only so much this perky little volume can do; as it is, it will provide substantial browsing pleasure to both animal lovers and children curious about language. The cat’s pajamas! (Nonfiction. 6-10)
Pub Date: March 15, 2003
ISBN: 0-8234-1774-3
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2003
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by Melissa Thomson and illustrated by Frank Morrison ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2009
Keena Ford’s second-grade class is taking a field trip to the United States Capitol. This good-hearted girl works hard to behave, but her impulsive decisions have a way of backfiring, no matter how hard she tries to do the right thing. In this second book in a series, Keena cuts off one of her braids and later causes a congressman to fall down the stairs. The first-person journal format is a stretch—most second graders can barely write, let alone tell every detail of three days of her life. Children will wonder how Keena can cut one of her “two thick braids” all the way off by pretend-snipping in the air. They will be further confused because the cover art clearly shows Keena with a completely different hairdo on the field trip than the one described. Though a strong African-American heroine is most welcome in chapter books and Keena and her family are likable and realistic, this series needs more polish before Keena writes about her next month in school. (Fiction. 6-9)
Pub Date: July 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3264-3
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2009
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adapted by Rachel Isadora & illustrated by Rachel Isadora ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2008
Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your dreads! Isadora once again plies her hand using colorful, textured collages to depict her fourth fairy tale relocated to Africa. The narrative follows the basic story line: Taken by an evil sorceress at birth, Rapunzel is imprisoned in a tower; Rapunzel and the prince “get married” in the tower and she gets pregnant. The sorceress cuts off Rapunzel’s hair and tricks the prince, who throws himself from the tower and is blinded by thorns. The terse ending states: “The prince led Rapunzel and their twins to his kingdom, where they were received with great joy and lived happily every after.” Facial features, clothing, dreadlocks, vultures and the prince riding a zebra convey a generic African setting, but at times, the mixture of patterns and textures obfuscates the scenes. The textile and grain characteristic of the hewn art lacks the elegant romance of Zelinksy’s Caldecott version. Not a first purchase, but useful in comparing renditions to incorporate a multicultural aspect. (Picture book/fairy tale. 6-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-399-24772-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2008
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