A bright future goes dim when Mandy's father is killed in WWII, and a returning veteran takes her mother's job. They have to move, to cranky Aunt Bess's farm. At first, Mandy doesn't want to fit in, either at her new school, or on the farm, where Aunt Bess tells her to tend the sheep—but her stubbornness begins to melt as she develops affection for the flock, and makes two friends. Still, she pines for her old town and the house her father had always talked of buying. A spring flood and a family crisis develop simultaneously when Mandy's mother proposes buying a local general store with Aunt Bess's lamb money; in a heavy rainstorm, Mandy finds the sheep cut off on a low rise, and must decide whether to prevent the sale by leaving them to their fate, or try a rescue. As it turns out, the water is already too deep, but she keeps the flock together through a long night, and by the time help arrives in the morning, has straightened her priorities. Willis plots a predictable but sturdy story, with a slightly antique flavor and a cast whose good hearts are frequently disguised beneath crusty or careless exteriors. (Fiction. 11-13)
Pub Date: March 27, 1995
ISBN: 0-395-68708-X
Page Count: 188
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1995
The author of Hunt For the Last Cat (1991) returns to prehistoric North America to follow now-vanished wildlife on its long migratory cycle across the Great Plains. Huge condor Teratorn and mammoth matriarch Mamoot are the main figures here; Teratorn hovers over the prairie, ever vigilant for small prey or fresh kills, while Mamoot leads her family group, generally immune to predators but susceptible to drought, accident, and overgrazing. Despite the proper names, Denzel's great beasts aren't anthropomorphic; they act out the old story of birth, growth, and death (usually violent and gory) in characteristic natural ways. Humans appear, late in the book, as a new but not particularly efficient predator. Vivid descriptive passages establish a strong sense of place and time, but the author doesn't develop a sustained plotline, and Watkinson's pencil drawings are static and undramatic. Steer readers to nonfiction for information, and to Denzel's previous books for paleo-adventure stories. (Fiction. 11- 13)
Pub Date: Oct. 27, 1993
ISBN: 0-399-21894-7
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1993
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Under a title that's a candidate for most outrageous pun of the year, a respected scholar of children's literature and education celebrates a distinctive style of regional dress. Opening with a look at post-Civil War cowboys' living and working conditions, Greenlaw describes the invention of—and the last century's changing fashions in—cowboy hats, shirts, pants, and boots as well as chaps, bolos, and other accessories. She mentions major specialty companies and entrepreneurs but seldom goes into details of manufacture, focusing instead on how these items and garments have changed over time. Among the illustrations (dark b&w photos plus a short color section), old portraits and advertisements are varied with modern fashion shots featuring both adults and children. The stories of Levi Strauss and John B. Stetson have been told elsewhere for young readers, but other sources on Jack A. Weil, the Justin family, or the modern western wear industry are rare. Not definitive, but fun. Bibliography; museum list; index. (Nonfiction. 11-13)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-525-67432-2
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 1993
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