Nothing ever happens in Crabtree County until the day James Arthur dresses up as a shrub, gets his underpants full of bugs, rushes down to the pond to rinse off, and is spotted by near-sighted old Miss Bunch who thinks he is a lizard man. James Arthur, not realizing her mistake, sets out to capture the lizard man, and in doing so, unknowingly leaves “clues” that others take as evidence of the lizard man’s existence. As the tongue-in-cheek tale gets more involved and absurd, it will have emerging readers predicting what happens next, following the action, and out-thinking James Arthur and the whole town. The vibrant oil illustrations often provide viewers with unusual perspectives, from a duck’s-eye-view of fire trucks to an overhead shot of James Arthur’s balloon dinosaur. This is terrific fun for story hours, with a droll text that is constantly rebutted by the pictures. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-7614-5049-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1999
The grasslands of the Canadian west serve as a setting for this coming-of-age story from Reynolds. A parched summer means trouble for Percy’s homesteading family. His father decides to plow a fireguard around the house and Percy is eager to help, but his parents advise him to wait a couple more years to shoulder a man’s work. Then the dreaded happens, as a prairie fire advances over the horizon toward their farm. There is no time to waste; his parents man the fireguard while Percy is put in charge of dousing the spot fires set off by flying ash. This he does with responsibility and imagination, deploying a clever trick to calm his skittish horse. After the fire passes and time comes to collect the oxen from the slough, Percy is asked to help: “It’s a job for two men. Why don’t you come with me, Son?” This exciting story is realistically told; Percy indeed earns his stature, while Kilby’s illustrations allow the prairie and the wildfire each to take on a haunting presence. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1999
ISBN: 1-55143-137-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1999
Nadia, a Pakistani-American girl, has been chosen to be the flower girl for Auntie Laila’s traditional wedding. Nadia will wear shalwar, or silky trousers, with a matching kameez on top. She’ll have her hair curled, and she’ll walk down the aisle, strewing flower petals left and right. Before the wedding, however, she’ll have her hands decorated with the mehndi, a dark red henna paste swirled into intricate designs, flowers, and stars. Everyone assumes that Nadia is thrilled, but she’s worried about Monday, when she’ll have to go to school with the indelible designs still on her hands. How the strength of time-honored traditions and the warmth and love of a large extended family transform Nadia’s feelings about her hands make an affecting—though somewhat abruptly resolved’story. Weiner’s pastel illustrations amplify the text; he shows Nadia’s ambivalence in her face and posture, and conveys both her pleasure at her important role in the wedding, and her reluctance to be different at school. When she comes to terms with those fears, her smile is radiant. (glossary) (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1999
ISBN: 1-56397-667-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1999
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf