After his father's death, 12-year-old Ben feels he must bring his big brother Reuben back from the war to help his mother. It's an adventure from the first as he must sneak out at night, and finds all too soon that his younger cousin Danny is as insistent about coming along as is Reuben's dog, Captain. Danny adds a fourth to the expedition when they come across a wild-eyed cow—frightened and unhappy about both the war and not having been milked. The narrative blends cannon shots, rifle sniping, and death with mundane details of two boys struggling to find their way toward the Union troops through Pennsylvania countryside. The pace is somewhat slow, which helps to bring readers slowly to accept the true horrors of war that the boys find when they end up in Gettysburg at the worst possible moment. At first, death is offstage, but gradually the author brings it closer and closer until readers, along with Ben, begin to believe in the inevitability of finding Reuben dead. Adults are kind and indulgent for the most part, which seems unlikely, but given the somber story and the suspense of knowing the boys are headed toward a battle, it works. Sturdy, unadorned historical fiction. (Fiction. 10-14)
Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-399-23577-9
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2001
PLB 0-517-70967-8 Me And My Family Tree (32 pp.; $13.00; PLB $14.99; May; 0-517-70966-X; PLB 0-517-70967-8): For children who are naturally curious about the people who care for them (most make inquiries into family relationships at an early age), Sweeney explains, with the assistance of a young narrator, the concept of a family tree. Photographs become understandable once the young girl learns the relationships among family members; she wonders what her own family tree will look like when she marries and has children. A larger message comes at the end of this story: not only does she have a family tree, but so does everyone in the world. Cable’s drawings clearly define the process of creating a family tree; she provides a blank tree so children can start on their own geneaology.(Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: May 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-517-70966-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
One of a four-book series designed to help the very young prepare for new siblings, this title presents a toddler-and-mother pair (the latter heavily pregnant) as they read about new babies, sort hand-me-downs, buy new toys, visit the obstetrician and the sonographer, speculate and wait. Throughout, the child asks questions and makes exclamations with complete enthusiasm: “How big is the baby? What does it eat? I felt it move! Is it a boy or girl?” Fuller’s jolly pictures present a biracial family that thoroughly enjoys every moment together. It’s a bit oversimplified, but no one can complain about the positive message it conveys, appropriately, to its baby and toddler audience. The other titles in the New Baby series are My New Baby (ISBN: 978-1-84643-276-7), Look at Me! (ISBN: 978-1-84643-278-1) and You and Me (ISBN: 978-1-84643-277-4). (Board book. 18 mos.-3)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-84643-275-0
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Child's Play
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
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