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EVERYTHING DOG

Name: EVERYTHING DOG
Author: Marty Crisp
ISBN: 1-55971-839-0

WHAT KIDS REALLY WANT TO KNOW ABOUT DOGS

by Marty Crisp ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2003

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Crisp (Totally Polar, 2001, etc.) offers a crisply written collection of canine trivia that will intrigue young readers who like to learn odd facts about favorite animals. A question in large type at the top of each page or spread is followed by a chatty answer, informally conveying information on dog—including canine anatomy, behavior, and history. Some questions are obvious choices, (“Why do dogs like people?” and “Why do dogs have cold, wet noses?”) while others are more thoughtful, (“Can dogs recognize other people in your family by their smell?” or “Can dogs see what people see?”). The volume’s jazzy design utilizes some creative concepts that add touches of color throughout, with the introduction and resource pages printed on bright yellow or red backgrounds. Both full-color and black-and-white photographs are used, including shots of dogs with children and with adult owners. Unfortunately the quality of the photographs is not uniform throughout, particularly in the black and white shots, and most regrettably in an unnecessarily unattractive photograph of the author on the final page. A minor drawback—this first entry in the Kids’ FAQs series will be useful for both recreational reading and school reports on man’s (and many a kid’s) best friend. (bibliography) (Nonfiction. 7-10)

Pub Date: March 1, 2003

ISBN: 1-55971-839-0

Page Count: 64

Publisher: NorthWord

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2003

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
TITANICAT
by Marty Crisp & illustrated by Robert Papp

- BOOK REVIEW
THE MOST PRECIOUS GIFT
by Marty Crisp & illustrated by Floyd Cooper

- BOOK REVIEW
EVERYTHING HORSE
by Marty Crisp

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RED-EYED TREE FROG

by Joy Cowley ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1999

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Bishop’s spectacular photographs of the tiny red-eyed tree frog defeat an incidental text from Cowley (Singing Down the Rain, 1997, etc.). The frog, only two inches long, is enormous in this title; it appears along with other nocturnal residents of the rain forests of Central America, including the iguana, ant, katydid, caterpillar, and moth. In a final section, Cowley explains how small the frog is and aspects of its life cycle. The main text, however, is an afterthought to dramatic events in the photos, e.g., “But the red-eyed tree frog has been asleep all day. It wakes up hungry. What will it eat? Here is an iguana. Frogs do not eat iguanas.” Accompanying an astonishing photograph of the tree frog leaping away from a boa snake are three lines (“The snake flicks its tongue. It tastes frog in the air. Look out, frog!”) that neither advance nor complement the action. The layout employs pale and deep green pages and typeface, and large jewel-like photographs in which green and red dominate. The combination of such visually sophisticated pages and simplistic captions make this a top-heavy, unsatisfying title. (Picture book. 7-9)

Pub Date: March 1, 1999

ISBN: 0-590-87175-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1999

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
THE TINY WOMAN'S COAT
by Joy Cowley ; illustrated by Giselle Clarkson

- BOOK REVIEW
SONG OF THE RIVER
by Joy Cowley ; illustrated by Kimberly Andrews

- BOOK REVIEW
THE WARLI PEOPLE
by Hye-Eun Shin ; illustrated by Su-Bi Jeong ; edited by Joy Cowley

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WOLVES

by Seymour Simon ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 30, 1993

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Varieties, life cycle, pack and hunting behavior, and the current status of this endangered predator—although with what may seem too many transparently rhetorical questions (``Are wolves savage and destructive hunters of people and livestock?'') and fillers (``After wolves kill a large animal, they may rest for a brief time or eat right away''). Without attribution, Simon states that ``...there is no record of a healthy wolf ever trying to kill a human in North America.'' In Gray Wolf, Red Wolf (1990, for slightly older readers), Patent is more precise: ``there is no record of a healthy wild wolf attacking a human.'' Patent also does a better job of stating the case for and against reintroducing wolves in national parks. Still, though his text isn't up to his usual high standard, Simon again selects outstanding photos—this book's strongest and most appealing feature. (Nonfiction. 8-10)