A sweet and engaging story that may need a little work to find readers who are ready for it.
Rafi the irrepressible tree frog is back with his younger, plucky sister, Rosi, in three new adventures that all center on Puerto Rico’s El Morro fort, each short chapter featuring an element of this National Historic Site.
First, Rafi re-creates Cofresí’s battles on top of the fort’s pile of cannonballs when he discovers he’s related to the Robin Hood–like pirate. After lunch, the siblings decide to jimmy a loose brick with a stick in the fort’s kitchen. They find Spanish coins and are very excited until they realize they can’t keep them. However, Rosi asks the fort museum’s historian and is given permission to make rubbings to keep as mementos. Later that same afternoon, a “haunted” sentry box at the fort provides an opportunity for a game of hide-and-seek with a surprise ending. Publishing simultaneously in separate Spanish and English editions, the story is the same in both. However the vocabulary in the former is far more advanced than in the latter, and the glossary doesn’t address many of the potentially unfamiliar words, such as “desperdigaron” and “desparramadas.” Contrary to the “Early Fluent” designation, the Spanish edition of this early reader may prove to be a challenge for many children below the second grade. Also, the glossary in the English edition inexplicably provides anglicized phonetics for a well-known word: gracias. Instead of the common two-syllable pronunciation, the diphthong is ignored in favor of a three-syllable pronunciation, “GRAH-see-ahs.” Both editions include historical notes and activities that will be welcomed in most classrooms.
A sweet and engaging story that may need a little work to find readers who are ready for it. (Early reader. 7-9)Pub Date: Nov. 2, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-89239-383-1
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2017
Eeney meeney miney moe, catch this series before it goes! (Adventure. 7-9)
Two kids get up close and personal with some great works of art in this first in a new series.
Tiger Brooks is used to his little sister’s fantastical stories. So when the top-hatted orange pig she describes turns out to be not only real, but a next-door neighbor, Tiger enlists the help of his kooky new friend, Luna, to investigate. It turns out the pig works for the reclusive painter Viola Dots. Years ago a magical picture frame swallowed up her only son, and she’s searched for him in artworks ever since. When Tiger’s tinkering starts the magic up again, he and Luna are sucked into a reproduction of Henri Rousseau’s Surprised! or Tiger in a Tropical Storm, hungry predator and all. After meeting and failing to rescue Viola’s son in this adventure, the series is set up for the intrepid pair to infiltrate other classic paintings in the future. Backmatter provides information on the real Rousseau and his life. Oliver keeps the plot itself snappy and peppy. While there are few surprises, there’s also an impressive lack of lag time. This is helped in no small part by Kallis’ art, which goes from pen-and-ink drawings to full-blown color images once the kids cross over into the painting. Tiger is a white boy, and Luna is a dark-haired Latina.
Eeney meeney miney moe, catch this series before it goes! (Adventure. 7-9)Pub Date: April 26, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-448-48087-9
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A vigorously told comic adventure.
Inspired by local versions of a popular Japanese folktale, Sierra (Antarctic Antics, 1998, etc.) recasts a yarn that usually stars Momotaro, or “Peach Boy,” with a female lead.
When giant, ogre-like oni take away all the village’s babies to make snacks of their tasty navels, little Uriko-hime is left behind; she was born from a melon, and so has no belly button. Gathering up a small band of animal companions along the way, Uriko tricks the monsters into walloping themselves with clubs, and rescues the children, leaving delicious millet dumplings behind in consolation. Clad in a flowing, watermelon-colored kimono, Uriko makes a doughty heroine, equally skilled in cookery and swordplay; So’s art has a traditional look, with theatrically gesturing figures, busy crowd scenes, and energetic brushwork.
A vigorously told comic adventure. (Picture book/folklore. 7-9)Pub Date: May 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-679-89369-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1999
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