edited by Lucy Micklethwait ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 1, 1993
An enchanting alternative to Scarry's clumsily drawn ``Word Books'': an author whose specialty is introducing children to fine art (I Spy: An Alphabet in Art, 1992) presents almost 30 popular topics (including family, pets, action words, shapes, opposites, seasons, faces, ways to travel, ``A Time to Play,'' and, finally, ``A Time for Peace'') illustrated with handsomely reproduced paintings from six continents and many periods. With remarkable felicity, she arrays works in disparate styles into spacious, elegantly harmonious topical spreads; e.g., four rather quiet vignettes of ``Wild Animals'' on the left (a DÅrer hare, a tortoise from a Turkish manuscript, an aboriginal Australian kangaroo, and a tiger by Henri Rousseau) are balanced by a vibrant, full-page assemblage of ``lots of animals'' (a 16th-century Indian painting). A sensible note encourages parents and teachers to ``treat these pictures as you would those in any other picture book''; the captioning words lead beautifully into many concepts that might be discussed—e.g., on the ``Five Senses'' spread, a 17th-century parent is ``smelling'' as she changes a diaper; a Cassatt child is ``seeing'' herself in a mirror; Michelangelo's Adam is ``touching'' God. Full citations for the art. A delightful, mind-expanding book. (Nonfiction/Picture book. 2+)
Pub Date: Dec. 1, 1993
ISBN: 1-56458-203-5
Page Count: 64
Publisher: DK Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1993
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More by Lucy Micklethwait
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by Lucy Micklethwait & illustrated by Lucy Micklethwait
BOOK REVIEW
edited by Lucy Micklethwait & illustrated by Lucy Micklethwait
by Pete Seeger & Paul Dubois Jacobs & illustrated by Michael Hays ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2001
The seemingly ageless Seeger brings back his renowned giant for another go in a tuneful tale that, like the art, is a bit sketchy, but chockful of worthy messages. Faced with yearly floods and droughts since they’ve cut down all their trees, the townsfolk decide to build a dam—but the project is stymied by a boulder that is too huge to move. Call on Abiyoyo, suggests the granddaughter of the man with the magic wand, then just “Zoop Zoop” him away again. But the rock that Abiyoyo obligingly flings aside smashes the wand. How to avoid Abiyoyo’s destruction now? Sing the monster to sleep, then make it a peaceful, tree-planting member of the community, of course. Seeger sums it up in a postscript: “every community must learn to manage its giants.” Hays, who illustrated the original (1986), creates colorful, if unfinished-looking, scenes featuring a notably multicultural human cast and a towering Cubist fantasy of a giant. The song, based on a Xhosa lullaby, still has that hard-to-resist sing-along potential, and the themes of waging peace, collective action, and the benefits of sound ecological practices are presented in ways that children will both appreciate and enjoy. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83271-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001
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by Pete Seeger & Paul Dubois Jacobs & illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
BOOK REVIEW
by Pete Seeger & Paul Dubois Jacobs & illustrated by Michael Hays
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adapted by Pete Seeger & illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin
by Janice Boland & illustrated by G. Brian Karas ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1996
A book that will make young dog-owners smile in recognition and confirm dogless readers' worst suspicions about the mayhem caused by pets, even winsome ones. Sam, who bears passing resemblance to an affable golden retriever, is praised for fetching the family newspaper, and goes on to fetch every other newspaper on the block. In the next story, only the children love Sam's swimming; he is yelled at by lifeguards and fishermen alike when he splashes through every watering hole he can find. Finally, there is woe to the entire family when Sam is bored and lonely for one long night. Boland has an essential message, captured in both both story and illustrations of this Easy-to-Read: Kids and dogs belong together, especially when it's a fun-loving canine like Sam. An appealing tale. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-8037-1530-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1996
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