A large, elaborate production in the revivalist mode—double-page spreads in color, single-page, decoratively framed drawings in black and white—all more or less from the Maxfield Parrish era. And a long-drawn-out story with legendary trappings about a prince who yearns for the sea—dirty and dangerous, says his father, fit only for commoners—and how he learns from the young diver Demetrius that the vision is truer than the reality: a blind man had evoked the sea's beauty for the prince, Demetrius sees only sea slime. Fancy furbelows, an empty core.
Pub Date: April 1, 1980
ISBN: 0156252821
Page Count: 41
Publisher: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
Review Posted Online: April 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1980
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
When Bibi, her first and favorite babysitter, moves away, it takes all of August for 8-year-old Eleanor to get beyond her sense of loss and get used to a new caretaker. Her parents grieve, too; her mother even takes some time off work. But, as is inevitable in a two-income family, eventually a new sitter appears. Natalie is sensible and understanding. They find new activities to do together, including setting up a lemonade stand outside Eleanor’s Brooklyn apartment building, waiting for Val, the mail carrier, and taking pictures of flowers with Natalie’s camera. Gradually Eleanor adjusts, September comes, her new teacher writes a welcoming letter, her best friend returns from summer vacation and third grade starts smoothly. Best of all, Val brings a loving letter from Bibi in Florida. While the story is relatively lengthy, each chapter is a self-contained episode, written simply and presented in short lines, accessible to those still struggling with the printed word. Cordell’s gray-scale line drawings reflect the action and help break up the text on almost every page. This first novel is a promising debut. Eleanor’s concerns, not only about her babysitter, but also about playmates, friends and a new school year will be familiar to readers, who will look forward to hearing more about her life. (Fiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: March 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-8109-8424-0
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Feb. 10, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Fans and those looking for books about occupations may find themselves looking askance at every snowman they see.
The Buehners continue their snowmen-come-to-life shtick with this look at occupations.
A boy who made a snowman the night before awakens to find new snow on the ground but already-cleared walkways—by his snowman? “Was he the one who shoveled, with a snowman shoveling crew? / Could it be I just don’t see that snowmen have jobs too?” Caralyn Buehner’s rhyming verses then lead readers in an imaginative tour of other jobs snowmen might have: mechanic (for sleds), grocer, baker, magician, firefighter, “pizza man,” factory worker and truck driver. Each work scene is filled with familiar occupational details, like the clip that attaches the dentist’s cloth around patients’ necks and the decorations that adorn the classroom—it’s just the characters that seem out of place to 98.6-degree readers. Especially fun is the pet store, where all the animals are made of snow: a snow rabbit with carrot ears, a snow monkey swinging from the lights and “coldfish” in a tank. Hat, mitten and scarf styles add personality to the characters—don’t miss the librarian’s and teacher’s. A seek-and-find element adds to the fun of poring over the pages—a cat, rabbit, T-rex and mouse are hidden in each painting.
Fans and those looking for books about occupations may find themselves looking askance at every snowman they see. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3579-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 11, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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