Here’s a young mover-and-shaker who will stay with readers for a long time. Wondering why children never march in the big Frogg Day parade, Hazel sets about making a change, first bringing around the children in her apartment building, then striking a deal with the parade’s child-hating Marshall. Having finally gotten the children to work together to design and build a float, she needs all of her resources, both to woo a standoffish classmate into her camp, and then to regain her own spot in the parade after a rival takes over the project. Hirsch handles a temporary falling out between Hazel and her best adult friend a bit clumsily, but brings the tale along nicely to a rousing conclusion filled with noise, joy, and confetti. Readers who enjoy meeting strong-minded characters who can shrug off reverses, muse over similarities between a flower bouquet and a poem, and speak as equals both to grownups and other children, will be delighted with Hazel Green. (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: June 1, 2003
ISBN: 1-58234-820-0
Page Count: 188
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2003
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Seymour (Our Neighbor Is a Strange, Strange Man, p. 71, etc.) tells an enchanting story about a battle of wills between Farmer Puckett’s wife and Jake Johnson, the new mule that Farmer Puckett bought to pull his wagon of fireworks to the town’s Independence Day social. “Trouble was, when Jake Johnson got to Farmer Puckett’s yard, the mule liked the place so much he sat down. And he would not get up.” Mrs. Puckett declares that the mule will move if he gets hungry enough, but she’s wrong; a month later, as the Fourth of July approaches, Farmer Puckett is getting nervous, knowing that no one in town will ask him to hire the fireworks again if he fails this time. A fire under the mule forces Jake Johnson to move just a little, leaving the fireworks over the flame, and resulting in the best display the town has ever seen. It’s a mischievous tale, if readers can get past the mistreatment of animal, humans, and property that is part of most scenes. Take it as a tall tale, and watch the fireworks fly. (Picture book. 6-9)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-7894-2563-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: DK Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Spirin illustrates excerpts from the King James Bible in a luminous Italian Renaissance style. A haloed Jesus is the bright light among the ghost-like masses; only he and the angels shine in the dark city next to texts from Matthew, Luke, and John. The subtle palette is enhanced by the detail in gilded armor, jeweled costumes, city buildings, and agrarian landscapes. This book serves as an artful introduction to the popular Bible stories, with appeal for those fond of ornate, formal treatments. (Picture book. 5-10)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8050-5052-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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