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THE COMING OF THE SURFMAN

Name: THE COMING OF THE SURFMAN
Author: Peter Collington
ISBN: 0-679-84721-9

by Peter Collington & illustrated by Peter Collington ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 3, 1994

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A stranger opens a surfing supply shop in an inner-city neighborhood, far from the sea. Is he, as the young narrator thinks, ``two bread rolls short of a picnic?'' As ``the Surfman'' laboriously converts an abandoned factory into a giant wave tank, even the local gangs come to watch—and when it's finished, they joyfully declare a truce and buy surfboards. All is well till the wave machine breaks down, gang warfare erupts and damages it further, and the Surfman departs, leaving the narrator wishing he'd paid more attention to how the device worked. Collington illustrates this bleak tale with scenes of gray, sterile streets where empty windows look down on tiny human figures, with surfboards as the only spots of color. It would be interesting to contrast this somber parable with Eve Bunting's more optimistic Summer Wheels (1992), about another neighborhood peacemaker. (Picture book. 7-9)

Pub Date: Jan. 3, 1994

ISBN: 0-679-84721-9

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1993

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
CLEVER CAT
by Peter Collington & illustrated by Peter Collington

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RIVER STORY

by Meredith Hooper & illustrated by Bee Willey ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2000

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Trickling, bubbling, swirling, rushing, a river flows down from its mountain beginnings, past peaceful country and bustling city on its way to the sea. Hooper (The Drop in My Drink, 1998, etc.) artfully evokes the water’s changing character as it transforms from “milky-cold / rattling-bold” to a wide, slow “sliding past mudflats / looping through marshes” to the end of its journey. Willey, best known for illustrating Geraldine McCaughrean’s spectacular folk-tale collections, contributes finely detailed scenes crafted in shimmering, intricate blues and greens, capturing mountain’s chill, the bucolic serenity of passing pastures, and a sense of mystery in the water’s shadowy depths. Though Hooper refers to “the cans and cartons / and bits of old wood” being swept along, there’s no direct conservation agenda here (for that, see Debby Atwell’s River, 1999), just appreciation for the river’s beauty and being. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)

Pub Date: June 1, 2000

ISBN: 0-7636-0792-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2000

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
CELEBRITY CAT
by Meredith Hooper & illustrated by Bee Willey

- BOOK REVIEW
GOLD QUEST
by Meredith Hooper & illustrated by Stephen Biesty

- BOOK REVIEW
STEPHEN BIESTY’S CASTLES
by Meredith Hooper & illustrated by Stephen Biesty

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HORRIBLE HARRY AT HALLOWEEN

by Suzy Kline & illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2000

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Every year since kindergarten, Harry’s Halloween costume has gotten scarier and scarier. What’s it going to be this year? He’s not telling. His classmates are all stunned when he shows up, not as some monster or a weird alien (well, not really)—but as neatly dressed Sgt. Joe Friday of Dragnet fame, wielding a notebook and out to get “just the facts, ma’am.” As she has in Harry’s 11 previous appearances (15, counting the ones his classmate Song Lee headlines), Kline (Marvin and the Mean Words, 1997, etc.) captures grammar-school atmosphere, personalities, and incidents perfectly, from snits to science projects gone hilariously wrong. She even hands Harry/Friday a chance to exercise his sleuthing abilities, with a supply of baby powder “fairy dust” gone mysteriously missing. As legions of fans have learned to expect, Harry comes through with flying colors, pinning down the remorseful culprit in 11 minutes flat. No surprises here, just reliable, child-friendly, middle-grade fare. Illustrations not seen. (Fiction. 7-9)