AQUATIC ANIMALS IN THE WILD AND IN CAPTIVITY

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AQUATIC ANIMALS IN THE WILD AND IN CAPTIVITY

Name: AQUATIC ANIMALS IN THE WILD AND IN CAPTIVITY
Author: Patricia Curtis
ISBN: 0-525-67384-9

by Patricia Curtis ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1992

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Six aquatic habitats (freshwater lakes and wetlands; rivers; estuaries and salt marshes; coasts; coral reefs; and the open sea) and the animals that live in them are described, together with an overview of new aquariums that emphasize displaying animals in naturalistic settings plus chatty facts about birds, mammals, fish and invertebrates living in and around the waterways. The vivid color photos and informational tidbits are intriguing: e.g., the Baltimore Aquarium discovered that the blue poison arrow frog could be induced to lay eggs in the snapoff bottoms of two-liter soda bottles; and a giant Pacific octopus at the Scripps Aquarium supplemented his diet by climbing out of his tank at night and snacking on fish in neighboring tanks. One error will irritate shark fanciers: ``Instead of laying eggs like most other fish, sharks are live-bearers, animals that give birth to living young.'' Some are, yes, but some aren't (as visitors to the Smithsonian Museum shark exhibit will attest). Still, an attractive and informative book—a strong plea for protecting our watery environment and its inhabitants. Index. (Nonfiction. 10-12)

Pub Date: May 1, 1992

ISBN: 0-525-67384-9

Page Count: 60

Publisher: Dutton

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1992

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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A WEEK IN THE WOODS

by Andrew Clements ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2002

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Playing on his customary theme that children have more on the ball than adults give them credit for, Clements (Big Al and Shrimpy, p. 951, etc.) pairs a smart, unhappy, rich kid and a small-town teacher too quick to judge on appearances. Knowing that he’ll only be finishing up the term at the local public school near his new country home before hieing off to an exclusive academy, Mark makes no special effort to fit in, just sitting in class and staring moodily out the window. This rubs veteran science teacher Bill Maxwell the wrong way, big time, so that even after Mark realizes that he’s being a snot and tries to make amends, all he gets from Mr. Maxwell is the cold shoulder. Matters come to a head during a long-anticipated class camping trip; after Maxwell catches Mark with a forbidden knife (a camp mate’s, as it turns out) and lowers the boom, Mark storms off into the woods. Unaware that Mark is a well-prepared, enthusiastic (if inexperienced) hiker, Maxwell follows carelessly, sure that the “slacker” will be waiting for rescue around the next bend—and breaks his ankle running down a slope. Reconciliation ensues once he hobbles painfully into Mark’s neatly organized camp, and the two make their way back together. This might have some appeal to fans of Gary Paulsen’s or Will Hobbs’s more catastrophic survival tales, but because Clements pauses to explain—at length—everyone’s history, motives, feelings, and mindset, it reads more like a scenario (albeit an empowering one, at least for children) than a story. Worthy—but just as Maxwell underestimates his new student, so too does Clement underestimate his readers’ ability to figure out for themselves what’s going on in each character’s life and head. (Fiction. 10-12)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2002

ISBN: 0-689-82596-X

Page Count: 208

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2002

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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THE FRIENDSHIP WAR
by Andrew Clements

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THE LOSERS CLUB
by Andrew Clements

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ABOUT AVERAGE
by Andrew Clements & illustrated by Mark Elliott

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THE SCHOOL STORY

by Andrew Clements & illustrated by Brian Selznick ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2001

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A world-class charmer, Clements (The Janitor’s Boy, 2000, etc.) woos aspiring young authors—as well as grown up publishers, editors, agents, parents, teachers, and even reviewers—with this tongue-in-cheek tale of a 12-year-old novelist’s triumphant debut. Sparked by a chance comment of her mother’s, a harried assistant editor for a (surely fictional) children’s imprint, Natalie draws on deep reserves of feeling and writing talent to create a moving story about a troubled schoolgirl and her father. First, it moves her pushy friend Zoe, who decides that it has to be published; then it moves a timorous, second-year English teacher into helping Zoe set up a virtual literary agency; then, submitted pseudonymously, it moves Natalie’s unsuspecting mother into peddling it to her waspish editor-in-chief. Depicting the world of children’s publishing as a delicious mix of idealism and office politics, Clements squires the manuscript past slush pile and contract, the editing process, and initial buzz (“The Cheater grabs hold of your heart and never lets go,” gushes Kirkus). Finally, in a tearful, joyous scene—carefully staged by Zoe, who turns out to be perfect agent material: cunning, loyal, devious, manipulative, utterly shameless—at the publication party, Natalie’s identity is revealed as news cameras roll. Selznick’s gnomic, realistic portraits at once reflect the tale’s droll undertone and deftly capture each character’s distinct personality. Terrific for flourishing school writing projects, this is practical as well as poignant. Indeed, it “grabs hold of yourheart and never lets go.” (Fiction. 10-12)