As ad hoc parents go, Horton has nothing on Amos, a mild-mannered hippo with a bug problem who advertises for one tick bird and finds himself hosting a whole family. After don’t-call-us-we’ll-call-you interviews with a thrush and a vulture, Amos hires Kumba, an industrious but literal-minded tick bird who responds to his invitation to make herself at home by building a nest between his ears, and laying a clutch of eggs. Unlike Mayzie, Kumba and her chronically unemployed husband Akka do stick around for a while, but Amos ultimately finds himself in loco parentis to one querulous hatchling (“ ‘You sound just like your mother!’ ”), and even becoming (more or less) reconciled to having a nest on his head. That nest goes from tiny to invisible in Delaney’s sketchy line drawings, and the job interviews aren’t all that’s archly aimed over children’s heads here. All in all, it’s a promising premise that founders on trite jokes and an unimaginative plot, nor does it feature the vivid characters or naturalistic detail that bring such talking-animal tales as Shalant’s Bartleby of the Mighty Mississippi (2000), and, closer to thematic home, Hansen’s Caesar’s Antlers (1997) to life. (Fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-399-23614-7
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Told from the point of view of two warring siblings, this could have been an engaging first chapter book. Unfortunately, the length makes it less likely to appeal to the intended audience. Jessie and Evan are usually good friends as well as sister and brother. But the news that bright Jessie will be skipping a grade to join Evan’s fourth-grade class creates tension. Evan believes himself to be less than clever; Jessie’s emotional maturity doesn’t quite measure up to her intelligence. Rivalry and misunderstandings grow as the two compete to earn the most money in the waning days of summer. The plot rolls along smoothly and readers will be able to both follow the action and feel superior to both main characters as their motivations and misconceptions are clearly displayed. Indeed, a bit more subtlety in characterization might have strengthened the book’s appeal. The final resolution is not entirely believable, but the emphasis on cooperation and understanding is clear. Earnest and potentially successful, but just misses the mark. (Fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: April 23, 2007
ISBN: 0-618-75043-6
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2007
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere.
This book is buzzing with trivia.
Follow a swarm of bees as they leave a beekeeper’s apiary in search of a new home. As the scout bees traverse the fields, readers are provided with a potpourri of facts and statements about bees. The information is scattered—much like the scout bees—and as a result, both the nominal plot and informational content are tissue-thin. There are some interesting facts throughout the book, but many pieces of trivia are too, well trivial, to prove useful. For example, as the bees travel, readers learn that “onion flowers are round and fluffy” and “fennel is a plant that is used in cooking.” Other facts are oversimplified and as a result are not accurate. For example, monofloral honey is defined as “made by bees who visit just one kind of flower” with no acknowledgment of the fact that bees may range widely, and swarm activity is described as a springtime event, when it can also occur in summer and early fall. The information in the book, such as species identification and measurement units, is directed toward British readers. The flat, thin-lined artwork does little to enhance the story, but an “I spy” game challenging readers to find a specific bee throughout is amusing.
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere. (Informational picture book. 8-10)Pub Date: May 18, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-500-65265-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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