A great dose of catnip for the mob of world-records enthusiasts.
Terry has amassed here a busy collection of top 10s that run a gamut of topics: machines (like trains, planes and automobiles), animals, stars (those that dazzle in the heavens), stars (those that dazzle on stage), sports, freaks of nature, buildings, the mind and body—with multiple top 10s within each topic. (All games and movies referred to are rated for 12 and under.) Though the title claims these chart busters are “for boys,” there is no reason to think that girls wouldn’t find them equally irresistible (“This is the first ever T-10 that is exclusively for boys!” barks the “Welcome” page). Each page buzzes with lists and boxed items and dizzies with slews of photographs and fact squibs. Readers are also given opportunities to shuffle various top 10s to fashion their own selections and checklists to notch off those they’ve seen. This is described as “interactive,” a generous use of the term. Still, this collection rarely fails to shock and awe, offering up the gentleman who rode a motorcycle at nearly 400 mph, the highest-earning solo artist of 2012 (Madonna!) and the most fatal riot (took place in Constantinople in A.D. 532)—not to mention the thrill of imagining being one of the select 1,000-plus who annually get ripped apart by saltwater crocodiles. A worthy addition to the ranks of Ripley and Guinness. (Nonfiction. 9-15)
Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-77085-223-5
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Firefly
Review Posted Online: Oct. 19, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2013
Though usually cast as the trickster, Coyote is more victim than victimizer, making this a nice complement to other Coyote...
Two republished tales by a Greco-Cherokee author feature both folkloric and modern elements as well as new illustrations.
One of the two has never been offered south of the (Canadian) border. In “Coyote Sings to the Moon,” the doo-wop hymn sung nightly by Old Woman and all the animals except tone-deaf Coyote isn’t enough to keep Moon from hiding out at the bottom of the lake—until she is finally driven forth by Coyote’s awful wailing. She has been trying to return to the lake ever since, but that piercing howl keeps her in the sky. In “Coyote’s New Suit” he is schooled in trickery by Raven, who convinces him to steal the pelts of all the other animals while they’re bathing, sends the bare animals to take clothes from the humans’ clothesline, and then sets the stage for a ruckus by suggesting that Coyote could make space in his overcrowded closet by having a yard sale. No violence ensues, but from then to now humans and animals have not spoken to one another. In Eggenschwiler’s monochrome scenes Coyote and the rest stand on hind legs and (when stripped bare) sport human limbs. Old Woman might be Native American; the only other completely human figure is a pale-skinned girl.
Though usually cast as the trickster, Coyote is more victim than victimizer, making this a nice complement to other Coyote tales. (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-55498-833-4
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Weaving together architectural, engineering and Native American history, Weitzman tells the fascinating story of how Mohawk Indian ironworkers helped construct the sprawling bridges and towering skyscrapers that dominate our urban landscape. The book begins with a brief but informative history of the Kanien'kéhaka—People of the Flint. Leaders in establishing the League of the Iroquois, a confederation of Indian nations in the New York region, Mohawks had a longstanding reputation for their sense of tight-knit community, attraction to danger and love for physical challenge, qualities that served them well when hired in the late 1800s to do the most arduous work in railroad and bridge construction. With the advent of the skyscraper, Mohawks possessing agility that seemed gravity-defying worked hundreds of feet above the ground. They were not immune to tragedy, and the author discusses in detail the collapse of the Québec Bridge that killed 31 Mohawk workers. Illustrated with black-and-white photographs that capture the daring spirit of these heroic workers, the concise, captivating account offers great insight into the little-known but considerable role Native Americans played in our architectural and engineering achievements. (glossary, bibliography, source notes, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)
Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59643-162-1
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Flash Point/Roaring Brook
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2010
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