Equally sound as inspiration and writing advice, this tale fits neatly in Polacco’s oeuvre.
There are now a half-dozen stories by Polacco about teachers who made a difference for her as she grew up. This one is about “Killer Keller,” who never gave an A to anyone and whose students did not always last out the semester.
Young Patricia is honored to be chosen for Miss Keller’s writing class, but she is also intimidated by the teacher’s booming, Southern-accented voice and imperious manner. Young would-be writers will be awed, as Patricia was, by Miss Keller’s regal bearing, red lipstick, long red fingernails, and by her uncompromising approach. For her first homework assignment for Miss Keller, Patricia writes an essay, pouring out three pages of affectionate details about her family and home. She is stung to have her “masterpiece” dismissed due to a surfeit of “love”s. Patricia’s next-door neighbor, Pop, a retired baker, comforts her at the end of the day and tells her a story of Killer Keller, Pop’s thesaurus, and one of Pop’s own sons. How Patricia eventually earns that A is as heart-tugging as all of Polacco’s family-based tales; it is sentimental to be sure, but it is brought to life by the author’s pencil-and-marker illustrations, featuring her characteristically exaggerated and expressive line and color. Patricia’s dejection and subsequent triumph come through loud and clear.
Equally sound as inspiration and writing advice, this tale fits neatly in Polacco’s oeuvre. (Picture book. 6-12)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-399-16691-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
Quirky and imaginative—postmodern storytelling at its best.
Friendly curiosity and a gift for naming earn a polar bear an assortment of (mostly animal) friends, adventures, mishaps, and discoveries.
Arriving at a northern ocean, Duane spies a shipwreck. Swimming out to investigate, he meets its lone occupant, C.C., a learned snowy owl whose noble goal is acquiring knowledge to apply “toward the benefit of all.” Informing Duane that he’s a polar bear, she points out a nearby cave that might suit him—it even has a mattress. Adding furnishings from the wreck—the grandfather clock’s handless, but who needs to tell time when it’s always now?—he meets a self-involved musk ox, entranced by his own reflection, who’s delighted when Duane names him “Handsome.” As he comes to understand, then appreciate their considerable diversity, Duane brings out the best in his new friends. C.C., who has difficulty reading emotions and dislikes being touched, evokes the autism spectrum. Magic, a bouncy, impulsive arctic fox, manifests ADHD. Major Puff, whose proud puffin ancestry involves courageous retreats from danger, finds a perfect companion in Twitch, a risk-aware, common-sensical hare. As illustrated, Sun Girl, a human child, appears vaguely Native, and Squint, a painter, white, but they’re sui generis: The Canadian author avoids referencing human culture. The art conveys warmth in an icy setting; animal characters suggest beloved stuffed toys, gently reinforcing the message that friendship founded on tolerance breeds comfort and safety.
Quirky and imaginative—postmodern storytelling at its best. (Animal fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3341-0
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
