Young readers need to know about their peers in other countries, but this looks like a book their grandparents might have...
Rather than a comprehensive trip around the world, a quick expedition to 13 far-flung countries.
A nameless, stateless Caucasian boy introduces friends from some countries not often mentioned in books of this ilk: Botswana, Costa Rica, the Philippines, Morocco, Jordan and Greece. Other countries are the usual suspects: the United States, Canada, Brazil, France, China, India and Australia. An introductory double-page world map includes pages numbers for each country. The cheery narrator proceeds to each place and provides similar facts. Each double-page spread shows a map, the flag and the climate in a little oval. A sight such as the Great Wall of China or the Parthenon is often included, favorite foods (but no recipes) are described, and a celebration is sometimes mentioned. The children the boy meets live in both urban and rural settings, but they take their “friend” to other regions to show that people live in different ways. There is no index or bibliography. All in all, the book, with its upbeat quiz at the end (“In Costa Rica, what volcano did Alberto and I visit?”), resembles an expanded magazine article more than a thoughtful global tour. Pictures such as those found in Music Everywhere (2014) and Maya Ajmera’s other photo essays with Cynthia Pon and other collaborators serve children better than the busy, retro cartoony illustrations here.
Young readers need to know about their peers in other countries, but this looks like a book their grandparents might have read. (Informational picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: March 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-77147-051-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 9, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2015
Less stylish than Ed Young’s classic Seven Blind Mice but a serviceable rendition nonetheless.
An Iranian-American author recasts an anecdote from the Persian poet Rumi, itself based on a far older tale about perceiving parts of a truth rather than its whole.
Javaherbin adds characters and plot to the bare-bones original and reduces Rumi’s lengthy mystical exegesis to a line. So curious are local villagers about the strange beast Ahmad the merchant has brought from India that they sneak into the dark barn where the creature is kept. Each returns with a different impression: one trips over the animal’s nose and announces that it’s like a snake, but it is more like a tree to one who feels its leg, and so on. Their squabble is so intense that they don’t even notice when Ahmad arrives to lead the elephant out to the river—leaving each with “only a small piece of the truth.” Yelchin outfits the villagers in curly-toed slippers and loose, brightly patterned caftans. He also puts a nifty spin on the story by leaving the adults to argue obliviously but surrounding the elephant at the wordless end with smiling, plainly clearer-eyed children. Though the language is bland, the wildly gesticulating figures in the illustrations add a theatrical element, and the episode makes its points in a forthright way. An excellent source note traces the familiar tale back to its earliest versions.
Less stylish than Ed Young’s classic Seven Blind Mice but a serviceable rendition nonetheless. (Picture book/folk tale. 6-8)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-545-63670-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 5, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2015
Sadly, Van Steenwyk’s affirming narrative and important subject are matched with out-of-sync art.
Van Steenwyk introduces Kate Warne, whose determined skill secured her spot in U.S. history as the country’s first woman detective.
In 1856, the enterprising young white woman persuaded Allan Pinkerton, head of the country’s pre-eminent detective agency, to hire her. Warne convinced Pinkerton that a woman could gain access to situations and information that male detectives couldn’t. As a detective, Warne used disguises and false identities at social events. In fancy gowns and, sometimes, disguised as a fortuneteller, Warne gained the confidences of wives of businessmen and politicians. In 1860, Pinkerton learned of a rumored plot to assassinate President-elect Lincoln in Baltimore, en route from Illinois to his inauguration in Washington. Pinkerton assigned Warne an important role in thwarting the assassination. She infiltrated a Baltimore group called the Golden Circle, confirming the plot. While Pinkerton informed the president, Kate warned one of Lincoln’s confidants. Van Steenwyk succinctly details the elaborate counterplan, in which Lincoln altered his multicity itinerary and even donned a disguise himself to throw off the hunt. Warne rose at Pinkerton, directing both male and female detectives and heading the agency’s Washington office during the Civil War. In contrast to crisp text, Belloni’s stylized illustrations are a digital miasma of cartoon colors, layered textures, and Disney-fied features and gowns. Eyes, especially, are large, dilated, and kittenish.
Sadly, Van Steenwyk’s affirming narrative and important subject are matched with out-of-sync art. (note, bibliography) (Informational picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8075-4117-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2016
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