Ten years ago, when Hentoff wrote Our Children Are Dying, he introduced Dr. Elliott Shapiro, a Harlem principal of exceptional decency and intelligence who nimbly circumvented the inanities of the New York City school system and welcomed the community into P.S. 119. Hentoff, a staunch public school advocate, continues to search out schools concerned with "the life of the child" and to report on individuals who manage, despite budget cutbacks and bureaucratic folly, to educate children in meaningful ways. Those featured include one teacher, two principals, a parent activist, ex-Chancellor Scribner, and Shapiro himself, now a graduate school professor. Observed and interviewed separately, they share certain crucial beliefs: the educability of all children and the need for parent involvement and professional accountability. Hentoff is a cautious reporter, no longer impressed by labels—too often "open-classroom" has meant "benign intellectual neglect"; he's interested in "replicable" set-ups, even traditional ones, that give children both skills and satisfaction, and accordingly he finds adult expectations more significant than teaching style. Preceding these accounts of particular schools is a chapter on corporal punishment, a practice upheld by the Supreme Court in 1975, which now faces—at long last—increasingly organized opposition around the country. Articulate, selective reporting.
Pub Date: March 1, 1977
ISBN: 0394409337
Page Count: 264
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: April 3, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1977
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
