When Sally leaves for school, her room is such a mess that it has actually inconvenienced her. The room doesn't like it either: Not only do Sally's belongings begin to lecture (``Ick,'' says a dirty fishbowl, while the clock with no batteries tells the globe it's got socks on its head), but the entire room follows her to school. Confronted, the embarrassed Sally rushes home, arrives ahead of her stuff, is pleasantly surprised with the useful space that greets her, and promptly reforms. The message here is rendered almost painless by the novel idea, the funny pronouncements of the furniture, and the comical details in the cartoon-style illustrations. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-590-44709-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
Once the sky was so close that people could reach up and break off pieces of it to eat, but they wasted so much that the sky grew angry. Finally, after a woman broke off a big piece despite the sky's warnings and then tried to hide what she couldn't finish, the sky floated up to where it is today, forcing us to work for our food ever since. First published as a picture book in 1974, this Nigerian tale is presented here with some revision (lines added, sexist language removed) and colorful new illustrations. Golembe's large monotypes combine simple patterns and stylized but recognizable objects; intensely black human figures provide focal points in most scenes. The story may be centuries old, but it teaches a timely lesson and is retold in a lively, nonpreachy way. (Folklore/Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-316-30852-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
From its foreword to its notes on ``Where the Stories Come From,'' this ``I Can Read'' collection of seven appealing, mildly scary stories is a model of authenticity: the simplified but effective retellings honor both their sources and their intended audience. Chess's tongue-in-cheek illustrations add a perfect gruesome touch. (Folklore/Easy reader. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1991
ISBN: 0-06-021796-0
Page Count: 64
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1991
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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