The author of Rushmore (1999) and other visits to modern wonders turns to the seven originals—though, as he points out, the list only became set in stone (as it were) within the last 500 years, long after all but the Great Pyramid at Giza had vanished. Next to monumental, full-page views done with a severe formality reminiscent of Leonard Everett Fisher’s work, Curlee surveys what we know of each Wonder from ancient sources and modern archaeology. Though many mysteries remain, such as what the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus actually looked like (Curlee supplies four possibilities) or exactly where the Colossus of Rhodes stood, for most the size, materials, even sometimes the names of the artist-builders have been preserved—as well as each structure’s eventual fate. Curlee cites no books or Web sites to fan any flames of interest he might kindle, but he does supply a map. After references to other human-made Wonders past and present, he gathers his once-mighty subjects (quietly substituting Babylon’s Ziggurrat of Marduk, which has a more impressive silhouette, for the Hanging Gardens) for a final, to-scale, group portrait alongside the Statue of Liberty and the US Capitol. It’s a memorable tour, whether fueled by interest or class assignment. (Nonfiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: March 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-689-83182-X
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2002
McDonald’s irrepressible third-grader (Judy Moody Gets Famous, 2001, etc.) takes a few false steps before hitting full stride. This time, not only has her genius little brother Stink submitted a competing entry in the Crazy Strips Band-Aid design contest, but in the wake of her science teacher’s heads-up about rainforest destruction and endangered animals, she sees every member of her family using rainforest products. It’s all more than enough to put her in a Mood, which gets her in trouble at home for letting Stink’s pet toad, Toady, go free, and at school for surreptitiously collecting all the pencils (made from rainforest cedar) in class. And to top it off, Stink’s Crazy Strips entry wins a prize, while she gets . . . a certificate. Chronicled amusingly in Reynolds’s frequent ink-and-tea drawings, Judy goes from pillar to post—but she justifies the pencil caper convincingly enough to spark a bottle drive that nets her and her classmates not only a hundred seedling trees for Costa Rica, but the coveted school Giraffe Award (given to those who stick their necks out), along with T-shirts and ice cream coupons. Judy’s growing corps of fans will crow “Rare!” right along with her. (Fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-7636-1446-7
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Nearly a third of this addition to the ``Imagine Living Here'' series describes life in the Australian outback, where ``a mid-sized station with eight thousand sheep is two hundred square miles.'' Cobb states that ``If you lived on the outback of Australia, the only people you would see every day would be your own family''; indeed, the illustration shows a man shearing by hand with just his wife and two children assisting. Is it possible for two adults to shear 8000 sheep without assistance? Balance is a problem throughout; e.g., only one page discusses aboriginal people, while Captain Cook rates three. And, though decorative, the landscapes are so stylized as to be useless for identification, while not only sheep but the platypus, emu, and spiny anteater are all sky blue. Visually striking, but this adds little to the understanding of flora, fauna, or people. (Nonfiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: June 5, 1991
ISBN: 0-8027-6959-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Walker
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1991
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