TO THE LAND WHERE THE SUN MIGHT NEVER SET

bookshelf

TO THE LAND WHERE THE SUN MIGHT NEVER SET

Name: TO THE LAND WHERE THE SUN MIGHT NEVER SET
Author: Paul Francis
ISBN: 1-57098-065-9

by Paul Francis & Paul Francis ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 15, 1996

bookshelf

Subtitled ``The Story of Newgrange,'' this is an account of a Stone Age burial site over 5,000 years. It is difficult to establish the motives of Stone Age farmers; much of what Francis posits as the reasons behind the initial construction is stated as flat facts, without reference (until the last pages) to the scholarship of the 1960s underpinning them. The most potent aspect of the story for contemporary readers—Charles Campbell's 1699 rediscovery of the site that permanently reclaimed it from mere legend—also appears as an afterthought, further dampening the inherent mystery and intrigue behind this little-known topic. Full- color illustrations, while offering visual information diorama- style, do not enliven matters. (Nonfiction. 6-10)

Pub Date: April 15, 1996

ISBN: 1-57098-065-9

Page Count: 30

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1996

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

bookshelf

KEENA FORD AND THE FIELD TRIP MIX-UP

by Melissa Thomson and illustrated by Frank Morrison ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2009

bookshelf

Keena Ford’s second-grade class is taking a field trip to the United States Capitol. This good-hearted girl works hard to behave, but her impulsive decisions have a way of backfiring, no matter how hard she tries to do the right thing. In this second book in a series, Keena cuts off one of her braids and later causes a congressman to fall down the stairs. The first-person journal format is a stretch—most second graders can barely write, let alone tell every detail of three days of her life. Children will wonder how Keena can cut one of her “two thick braids” all the way off by pretend-snipping in the air. They will be further confused because the cover art clearly shows Keena with a completely different hairdo on the field trip than the one described. Though a strong African-American heroine is most welcome in chapter books and Keena and her family are likable and realistic, this series needs more polish before Keena writes about her next month in school. (Fiction. 6-9)

Pub Date: July 1, 2009

ISBN: 978-0-8037-3264-3

Page Count: 112

Publisher: Dial Books

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2009

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
TITO THE BONECRUSHER
by Melissa Thomson

- BOOK REVIEW
KEENA FORD AND THE SECRET JOURNAL MIX-UP
by Melissa Thomson & illustrated by Frank Morrison

- BOOK REVIEW
KEENA FORD AND THE SECOND-GRADE MIX-UP
by Melissa Thomson & illustrated by Frank Morrison

bookshelf

RAPUNZEL

adapted by Rachel Isadora & illustrated by Rachel Isadora ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2008

bookshelf

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your dreads! Isadora once again plies her hand using colorful, textured collages to depict her fourth fairy tale relocated to Africa. The narrative follows the basic story line: Taken by an evil sorceress at birth, Rapunzel is imprisoned in a tower; Rapunzel and the prince “get married” in the tower and she gets pregnant. The sorceress cuts off Rapunzel’s hair and tricks the prince, who throws himself from the tower and is blinded by thorns. The terse ending states: “The prince led Rapunzel and their twins to his kingdom, where they were received with great joy and lived happily every after.” Facial features, clothing, dreadlocks, vultures and the prince riding a zebra convey a generic African setting, but at times, the mixture of patterns and textures obfuscates the scenes. The textile and grain characteristic of the hewn art lacks the elegant romance of Zelinksy’s Caldecott version. Not a first purchase, but useful in comparing renditions to incorporate a multicultural aspect. (Picture book/fairy tale. 6-8)