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CHINYE

Name: CHINYE
Author: Obi Onyefulu
ISBN: 0-670-85115-9

A WEST AFRICAN FOLK TALE

adapted by Obi Onyefulu & illustrated by Evie Safarewicz ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1994

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A thin version of a relatively familiar tale. Orphaned Chinye comes back from a dangerous errand with a magic gourd that proves to be filled with riches. Her spoiled stepsister Adanma sets out to fetch another, but in her arrogance gets one containing a destructive wind. This differs from other renditions in that Chinye isn't rewarded for any virtue (she simply complains to an old woman, who takes pity on her), while the telling is so cursory that readers will be uninvolved. Safarewicz dresses her figures in elaborately patterned traditional costumes that stand out brightly against jungles painted in large, sweeping strokes—visual drama that the text never matches. The tale gets richer treatment in San Souci's Talking Eggs (1989). (Folklore/Picture book. 6-8)

Pub Date: May 1, 1994

ISBN: 0-670-85115-9

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1994

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS ON THE OCEAN FLOOR

From the Magic School Bus series

by Joanna Cole & illustrated by Bruce Degen ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1992

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Exuding her usual air of competence, Ms. Frizzle drives the magic school bus to the beach, over the sand, and into the waves to take her wisecracking class on a tour of an intertidal zone, the continental shelf, the deep sea bottom, and a coral reef. Degen's paintings feature plenty of colorful (and unobtrusively labeled) sea life. As always, the pace is breathless, the facts well chosen, the excitement of scientific study neatly evoked, and Ms. Frizzle's wardrobe equal to every extraordinary occasion. At the end, her students assemble a bulletin board chart to summarize their observations and—apparently in response to adult anxieties—Cole closes with a quiz clarifying the difference between fact and fiction in the story. Yes, it's a formula, but a winning one. (Nonfiction. 6-8)

None None

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1992

ISBN: 0-590-41430-5

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1992

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
THE BEST FRIEND PLAN
by Stephanie Calmenson & Joanna Cole ; illustrated by James Burks

- BOOK REVIEW
THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS AND THE CLIMATE CHALLENGE
by Joanna Cole and illustrated by Bruce Degen

- BOOK REVIEW
MS. FRIZZLE’S ADVENTURES
by Joanna Cole & illustrated by Bruce Degen

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THE BEST CHEF IN SECOND GRADE

by Katharine Kenah & illustrated by Abby Carter ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 1, 2007

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An impending school visit by a celebrity chef sends budding cook Ollie into a tailspin. He and his classmates are supposed to bring a favorite family food for show and tell, but his family doesn’t have a clear choice—besides, his little sister Rosy doesn’t like much of anything. What to do? As in their previous two visits to Room 75, Kenah builds suspense while keeping the tone light, and Carter adds both bright notes of color and familiar home and school settings in her cartoon illustrations. Eventually, Ollie winkles favorite ingredients out of his clan, which he combines into a mac-and-cheese casserole with a face on top that draws delighted praise from the class’s renowned guest. As Ollie seems to do his kitchen work without parental assistance, a cautionary tip or two (and maybe a recipe) might not have gone amiss here, but the episode’s mouthwatering climax and resolution will guarantee smiles of contentment all around. (Easy reader. 6-7)