A global introduction that goes beyond the usual symbols and sights.
Children from around the world describe “how we do it.”
As described in an author’s note, seven children and families (from Italy, Japan, Peru, Russia, Uganda, India, and Iran) provided photos and information on daily life used as research for stylized yet realistic digital illustrations that fill this large-format, very attractive picture book and the text. Each section starts with a statement: “This is me”; “This is where I live.” The explanatory text for each child can sometimes feel static, with occasional words defined in the glossary, but it is really the contrasting pictures, side by side, that are the attraction here. Many double-page spreads show examples from all seven countries, such as the page that focuses on chores. All seven children describe their tasks: Daphine, from Uganda, sweeps the yard with a small broom; Oleg, from Russia, vacuums; and Ribaldo, from Peru, helps with farming. Occasional topics demand multiple double-page spreads, as in a sequence that shows the children’s varying paths to school. No real social issues are mentioned, although a flashlight illuminates Ribaldo’s table as he helps his brother with homework, and Daphine has 69 children in her class at a “private school.” All families introduced are headed by heterosexual parents. Actual photos of each family appear at the end, and the endpapers feature a world map with the homes of the seven children indicated.
A global introduction that goes beyond the usual symbols and sights. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 6-10)Pub Date: May 2, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4521-5018-5
Page Count: 52
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
Gooney Bird Greene (with a silent E) is not your average second grader. She arrives in Mrs. Pidgeon’s class announcing: “I’m your new student and I just moved here from China. I want a desk right smack in the middle of the room, because I like to be right smack in the middle of everything.” Everything about her is unusual and mysterious—her clothes, hairstyles, even her lunches. Since the second graders have never met anyone like Gooney Bird, they want to hear more about her. Mrs. Pidgeon has been talking to the class about what makes a good story, so it stands to reason that Gooney will get her chance. She tells a series of stories that explain her name, how she came from China on a flying carpet, how she got diamond earrings at the prince’s palace, and why she was late for school (because she was directing a symphony orchestra). And her stories are “absolutely true.” Actually, they are explainable and mesh precisely with the teacher’s lesson, more important, they are a clever device that exemplify the elements of good storytelling and writing and also demonstrate how everyone can turn everyday events into stories. Savvy teachers should take note and add this to their shelf of “how a story is made” titles. Gooney Bird’s stories are printed in larger type than the narrative and the black-and-white drawings add the right touch of sauciness (only the cover is in color). A hybrid of Harriet, Blossom, and Anastasia, irrepressible Gooney Bird is that rare bird in children’s fiction: one that instantly becomes an amusing and popular favorite. (Fiction. 6-9)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-618-23848-4
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Walter Lorraine/Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2002
Trisha is ready to start at a new school, where no one will know she has dyslexia. At first, she is heartbroken to be in Miss Peterson’s special-ed class, aka, “the junkyard.” But Miss Peterson treats the children as anything but junk, showing them that everyone has a unique talent. Polacco’s trademark style is fully present here; her sensitively drawn alter ego shines with depth of feeling. When bullying occurs, Miss Peterson proves her students are worthwhile by planning a junkyard field trip, where they find valuable objects to be used in exciting ways. Trisha’s group repairs a plane, and the class buys an engine for it. Then a beloved class member dies, and the children must find a way to honor him. While the plot meanders somewhat, the characters are appealing, believable and provide a fine portrayal of a truly special class. Children will be drawn in by the story’s warmth and gentle humor and will leave with a spark of inspiration, an appreciation of individual differences and a firm anti-bullying message, all underscored by the author’s note that concludes the book. (Picture book. 7-10)
Pub Date: July 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-399-25078-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2010
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