A child’s experience on a whaling ship in 1851 is brought to life in this fictional account based on two real whaling families’ journals and diaries. Nine-year-old Laura and her younger brother William sail with their mother and sea-captain father on an expedition to the Arctic whaling grounds. They won’t return for seven months or until the ship is filled with 2,600 barrels of whale oil. Laura writes in her diary each day, sharing with readers the routines of eating, sleeping, and learning, as well as the adventures and the hardships of living on a small whaling ship. Excitement mounts as the ship enters arctic waters. Whales are hunted and processed. When unseasonably cold weather sets, the boat is caught in the ice and the captain is forced to abandon ship before reaching his goal. Laura and family travel in a longboat until they are rescued at sea, and there, Laura ends her diary. Allen’s (Good-Bye, Charles Lindbergh, 1998, etc.) sepia ink sketches set alongside the text illustrate many objects that may be unfamiliar to the modern reader. These include a chamber pot, sailor’s knots, and a harpoon. Two-page color pencil-and-oil wash illustrations interspersed with the text give the larger context of the whaling scene. These luminous images sharpen the reader’s understanding of a bygone life. Additional information and historical background are included in an authors’ note, and a glossary is placed at the front of the book for easy reference. A good read with an interesting historical background. (Fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: May 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-689-82222-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2000
From Dodds (The Shape of Things, 1994, not reviewed, etc.), a rhyming, reckless text that makes a math process pleasurably solvable; Mitchell’s illustrative debut features a smashing cast of 1930s characters and a playfulness that will keep readers guessing. The premise is a Great Race: at the sound of the gun, 80 bicycle racers take off at top speed. The path diverges at the top of a cliff, and half the racers hurtle forever downward and right out of the race and the book. The remaining 40 racers determinedly continue in boats, their curls, spyglasses, eye patches, matronly upswept hairdos, and Clara Bow—lips intact. Whirlpools erupt to divide them again and wreck their ships, so it’s time to grab the next horse and ride on. The race continues, despite abrupt changes in modes of transportation and in the number of racers that dwindle by disastrous divisions, until a single winner glides over the finish line in a single-prop plane. The pace is so breathless and engaging that the book’s didactic origins all but disappear; few readers will notice that they’ve just finished a math problem, and most will want to go over all the action again. (Picture book. 5-10)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-7636-0442-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1999
Into a true account of an unusual 1896 Thanksgiving McCully (Beautiful Warrior, 1998, etc.) inserts Clara Maher and her mother, traveling from New York to Utah to join Clara's father before they go on to California. Early in the adventure, Clara spots a wanted poster for Butch Cassidy_a man who never kills anyone, and who gives to the needy, according to a newsboy. When the train is snowbound, the passengers have to take shelter in hotels until the tracks are cleared. Clara and her mother travel by sleigh to Brown's Hole, Utah, where a group of friendly ranchers serves a splendid Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey, oyster dressing, olives, fresh tomatoes, and crispy lettuce are on the menu, and the presence of fresh produce (to readers) in such a frozen landscape is more surprising than the presence of Butch Cassidy, one of the hosts, recognized only by Clara. He gives Clara a wink and a silver dollar, which she says she will treasure. Several days later, when the snow is cleared from the tracks, the outlaws take Clara and her mother back to the train and they continue westward. McCully concludes with a note on the historical basis for the tale. The snowy watercolor illustrations are charming as are the many illustrations of warm and friendly outlaws; the story may be predictable, but it includes moments of exhilarating adventure. (map) (Fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-8037-2197-8
Page Count: 37
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1998
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
