This historical survey depicts the changing technology and appearance of locomotives from the 1830s to the 1990s. O’Brien (Gigantic! How Big Were the Dinosaurs?, 1999, etc.) uses the device of a first person account of a fictional young boy whose ancestors are all train engineers. Beginning in the present and going backward in time, vignettes about a circus train, a Jessie James holdup, and a race between a stagecoach and an early locomotive are interspersed with technical information about trains and building the rails of the period. The illustrations help the reader see not only the changing locomotives but also the changing styles of clothing and architecture. A cat in the first picture looks directly at the reader, almost as if asking the reader to accompany her to the past. Her forebears look on in many of the illustrations, leading the eye to details in the watercolor and gouache paintings. The soft-focus style illustrating scenes in the past becomes sharper when depicting technical information. This fictional family may give a sense of time for youngsters, but the mixture of the fictional with the historical leads to questions about the facts. Did a woman really become an engineer in the 1930s? Was there a race between a train and a horse and carriage? How could an engineer make sure that no one got hurt during a train robbery? A pleasant book for the casual reader but not enough substance for the real train enthusiast. (Nonfiction. 4-9)
Pub Date: July 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-88106-969-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Young readers will be pulled in by this humorous charmer.
Even helpers need help sometimes.
Toad’s job as a tow truck driver is so hectic that he doesn’t have time to eat the breakfast his dad’s prepared. “No time, Pop! Can’t stop!” Toad calls, racing out the door. Toad gets caught in heavy traffic as other animals race to their destinations. When one of them breaks down, “that’s where Toad comes in,” giving the beleaguered driver and the car a lift and tow, respectively. “I’m happy to help!” he announces. Caring Dad’s on the scene again, bringing Toad lunch. Toad’s response? “No time, Pop! Can’t stop!” As the day wears on, vehicular mishaps continue. Toad “answers the call” and “tows them all.” Then—uh-oh—his own truck goes kaput! Worse yet, he can’t fix it. What’s a tow truck driver to do when he needs a tow truck driver? Who’s Toad gonna call? Would you believe a great helper—Dad, a tow truck driver himself—comes to the rescue? Back at the family business’s garage, Toad finally finds time to eat. This rollicking story “tows” kids along with its fast-paced humor; its message that everyone occasionally needs assistance will resonate. The clipped text, heightening the sense of on-the-go movement, is comprised of brief sentences and phrases that use basic phonemic elements, making this funny, sweet tale a fine choice for emergent readers. The comical digital illustrations, featuring an all-animal cast, incorporate onomatopoeic sound effects.
Young readers will be pulled in by this humorous charmer. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9781774883488
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Hodgkins’s entry in the Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science series draws a visual timeline from centuries back, when humans’ dreams of flying evolved into reality. The succinct, simplified text cites human efforts to fly like birds and describes the aeronautical physics of gliding using drag force, thrust and lift. Kelley’s breezy illustrations convey a buoyant tone and keep the explanations understandable for curious young minds. Two pages of backmatter provide “Flying Facts” and instructions for making a paper airplane. Lightly touching on everything from the days of imagining the winged Icarus and dreaming of wings to today’s nonchalance about air travel, this is a welcome addition to easy science books about humans and flight. (Picture book/nonfiction. 6-9)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-06-029558-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Collins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2007
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