In a stout defense of the value of art, Giovanni literally puts the ants on trial for leaving the grasshopper out in the cold. Seeking “R.E.S.P.E.C.T.”—plus half of the defendants’ summer bounty—Jimmy Grasshopper and his team of avian lawyers bring Nestor and Abigail Ant (who have their own legal team) into a woodland courtroom presided over by Judge Oscar Owl. Both sides present compelling, eloquent, relatively lengthy arguments: on the one hand about the importance and benefits of music (standing in for all of the arts), and on the other about supposed obligations imposed by unasked-for services and the rights of workers to the fruits of their physical labors. Rendered in curling brushstrokes, Raschka’s animal figures dress and stand as humans, though they crowd so close to each other that they tend to blend into shimmering, impressionistic tableaux. Before closing with an unlikely feel-good ending the jury reaches a verdict, but readers—children too, though the author more pointedly addresses parents, politicians and school administrators—may want to continue the discussion. (Folklore. 9-11, adult)
Pub Date: May 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-7636-3021-8
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2008
SEEN & HEARD
IN THE NEWS
Music has the capacity to make friends of enemies, in this quiet study of one introverted fellow: Mole. Mole spends his days alone in his underground hovel, until one night while eating supper in front of the television, he hears the sweet sound of a violin. “I want to make beautiful music, too,” Mole claims, then sends away for a violin of his own. One note leads to another, and his music goes from screeching to symphonic. Unbeknownst to him, his years of underground practice have overarching effects, seen by readers only in the illustrations. Lilting strains of music attract birds, farmers, presidents, and queens. Mole’s subterranean world, a realm of permanent night, is softly lit by glowing umber, while outside, fighting armies lay down their arms as the music plays on. With endearing characterizations stylistically akin to Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad, the beloved Mole will easily win the affections of readers and inspire young hopes for a better world. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8050-2819-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1999
An airy, light look at one boy’s day at the bay. Camera in tow, a young naturalist sets out in search of frogs. While there are frogs a-plenty hiding under the dock, behind rocks, and perched on the rim of his hat, his eyes are opened to polliwogs, blue herons, crayfish, hummingbirds, loons and turtles. Rhyming couplets accompany each “snapshot” of nature, forming a short, caption-like storyline for this trip around the bay. At the end of his journey, he wonders if the creatures will say, “I saw a human being today.” Pencil crayon illustrations are pale but peaceful, adding to the meditative, meandering mode. The frogs in every spread will gratify find-and-point toddlers and other young listeners. (Picture book. 2-4)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 1-55074-498-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1999
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