by Lucy Jane Bledsoe & illustrated by Sterling Brown ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1995
Ernie knew his wish for a racing bike for his tenth birthday was not likely to come true and so disguises his disappointment in his grandmother's gift of a clunky used bike she can barely afford. Nevertheless, he's determined to enter a bike race and luck seems to be running his way when he meets Sonny, an adult racer, who agrees to help him train. This involving chapter book moves quickly and is always grounded in elements from real life: the grandmother's need to pinch every penny, Ernie's strict training regimen, his 30th-place finish. Blesoe's first novel—punctuated with black-and-white pictures by newcomer Brown—avoids a too-slick happy ending and finds a deeper, more satisfying one on which to hang Ernie's hopes. A promising debut. (Fiction. 8-11)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-8234-1206-7
Page Count: 90
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1995
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by Lucy Jane Bledsoe & photographed by Lucy Jane Bledsoe
by Jerry Pallotta ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2000
Who is next in the ocean food chain? Pallotta has a surprising answer in this picture book glimpse of one curious boy. Danny, fascinated by plankton, takes his dory and rows out into the ocean, where he sees shrimp eating those plankton, fish sand eels eating shrimp, mackerel eating fish sand eels, bluefish chasing mackerel, tuna after bluefish, and killer whales after tuna. When an enormous humpbacked whale arrives on the scene, Danny’s dory tips over and he has to swim for a large rock or become—he worries’someone’s lunch. Surreal acrylic illustrations in vivid blues and red extend the story of a small boy, a small boat, and a vast ocean, in which the laws of the food chain are paramount. That the boy has been bathtub-bound during this entire imaginative foray doesn’t diminish the suspense, and the facts Pallotta presents are solidly researched. A charming fish tale about the one—the boy—that got away. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-88106-075-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2000
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by Jerry Pallotta & Sammie Garnett ; illustrated by Vickie Fraser
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by Jerry Pallotta & Sammie Garnett ; illustrated by Vickie Fraser
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by Jerry Pallotta ; illustrated by Rob Bolster
by Margaret Blackstone ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1999
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
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by Margaret Blackstone & illustrated by John Segal
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