AMELIA’S SHOW-AND-TELL FIESTA/AMELIA Y LA FIESTA DE “MUESTRA Y CUENTA”

Name: AMELIA’S SHOW-AND-TELL FIESTA/AMELIA Y LA FIESTA DE “MUESTRA Y CUENTA”
Author: Mimi Chapra
ISBN: 0-06-050255-X

by Mimi Chapra & illustrated by Martha Avilés ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2004

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Amelia, a young Cuban immigrant to the US, is so excited to think of the possibilities of her first “show-and-tell” experience that she doesn’t quite get the directions down; instead of bringing something small to put in the basket and pass around the room, she wears her fiesta dress. Utterly embarrassed when she realizes her mistake, she’s at first too frightened to speak, but the swishing of her skirts against one another reminds her of the tropical breezes of home and loosens her tongue. While Amelia’s timidity is directly related to her “foreignness,” being different is an experience that all children face, and all will sympathize with her discomfort. Avilés’s rich hues suggest the tropical warmth of Cuba, and the exaggerated roundness of her faces conveys the openness of Mrs. Jenner’s multicultural classroom. Sweet-tempered and inviting, Chapra’s debut zeroes in on a common emotion, while also introducing Amelia’s Cuban culture, inserting Spanish words into the English text, and referring in passing to children named Parvati, Moyo, and Akio. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: June 1, 2004

ISBN: 0-06-050255-X

Page Count: 32

Publisher: HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2004

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
SPARKY’S BARK/EL LADRIDO DE SPARKY
by Mimi Chapra & illustrated by Viví Escrivá

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MIKE FINK

‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 21, 1992

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A tall-tale introduction to the ``King of the Keelboatmen,'' from the time he ran away from home at the age of two days to his literally explosive confrontation with steamboat captain Hilton B. Blathersby. The historical Fink was a cruel man who came to a violent end, but Kellogg depicts him as a friendly-looking, fun-loving youth; indeed, nearly all of the keelboatmen here- -black, white, old, and young—are smiling, clean-cut types, rather at odds with their usual roughneck image. Though Fink spends much of his time wrestling men or bears, Kellogg's description of him seems bland in comparison to his glowing, energetic illustrations, and less heroic than his other legendary figures. (Picture book/Folktale. 6-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 21, 1992

ISBN: 0-688-07003-5

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1992

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
THE WORD PIRATES
by Susan Cooper ; illustrated by Steven Kellogg

- BOOK REVIEW
FARTY MARTY
by B.J. Ward ; illustrated by Steven Kellogg

- BOOK REVIEW
SNOWFLAKES FALL
by Patricia MacLachlan ; illustrated by Steven Kellogg

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LAST DAY BLUES

From the Jitters series

by Julie Danneberg & illustrated by Judy Love ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2006

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One more myth dispelled for all the students who believe that their teachers live in their classrooms. During the last week of school, Mrs. Hartwell and her students reflect on the things they will miss, while also looking forward to the fun that summer will bring. The kids want to cheer up their teacher, whom they imagine will be crying over lesson plans and missing them all summer long. But what gift will cheer her up? Numerous ideas are rejected, until Eddie comes up with the perfect plan. They all cooperate to create a rhyming ode to the school year and their teacher. Love’s renderings of the children are realistic, portraying the diversity of modern-day classrooms, from dress and expression to gender and skin color. She perfectly captures the emotional trauma the students imagine their teachers will go through as they leave for the summer. Her final illustration hysterically shatters that myth, and will have every teacher cheering aloud. What a perfect end to the school year. (Picture book. 5-8)

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