PLB 0-679-97685-X In this tale, Priceman (My Nine Lives by Clio, 1998, etc.) uses color with great verve and energy, while her sly, appealing sense of humor allows a very different story to unfold in the pictures than the one taking place in the text. Ms. Splinter’s second grade is at the circus, and while the teacher holds forth about what is happening before their eyes, Emeline is having a parallel but distinctly separate adventure. As Ms. Splinter distinguishes between the African and Indian elephants, Emeline peacefully wanders off to buy peanuts; as Ms. Splinter describes the llama, Emeline’s peanuts get shaken into the mouth of the previous elephant, which is shaking her aloft. Emeline acquires a clown nose and hat (“clown comes from the Old Norse word klînne,” Ms. Splinter intones, “meaning ‘clumsy fellow,’ “) and proceeds to ride bareback, grab the highwire, and get rescued from the hippo by the strongman (as Ms. Splinter defines deltoids, biceps, and triceps). Facing the tiger and kissing the monkey leads Emeline to a quick aerial stunt and then she returns, placidly, to her seat. Confetti colors engender a child’s circus fantasy explosion: Emeline is always visible in her bright blue dress and red collar (and her clown nose). The pictures, while busy, are carefully composed; readers will always know what is going on and where Emeline is as the poker-faced narration marches on. (Picture book. 4-9)
Pub Date: April 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-679-87685-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1999
Miranda’s book counts the monsters gathering at a birthday party, while a simple rhyming text keeps the tally and surveys the action: “Seven starved monsters are licking the dishes./Eight blow out candles and make birthday wishes.” The counting proceeds to ten, then by tens to fifty, then gradually returns to one, which makes the monster’s mother, a purple pin-headed octopus, very happy. The book is surprisingly effective due to Powell’s artwork; the color has texture and density, as if it were poured onto the page, but the real attention-getter is the singularity of every monster attendee. They are highly individual and, therefore, eminently countable. As the numbers start crawling upward, it is both fun and a challenge to try to recognize monsters who have appeared in previous pages, or to attempt to stay focused when counting the swirling or bunched creatures. The story has glints of humor, and in combination with the illustrations is a grand addition to the counting shelf. (Picture book. 3-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-201835-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999
The Pumpkin Book (32 pp.; $16.95; Sept. 15; 0-8234-1465-5): From seed to vine and blossom to table, Gibbons traces the growth cycle of everyone’s favorite autumn symbol—the pumpkin. Meticulous drawings detail the transformation of tiny seeds to the colorful gourds that appear at roadside stands and stores in the fall. Directions for planting a pumpkin patch, carving a jack-o’-lantern, and drying the seeds give young gardeners the instructions they need to grow and enjoy their own golden globes. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1999
ISBN: 0-8234-1465-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
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