A mishmash of folklore and history lite that doesn’t quite get off the ground.
A select overview of the northern mockingbird in human history.
The book tries to make the case for a “duet” of mockingbird-human relationships throughout history: The mockingbird provides entertainment, while the human provides sustenance and a willing appreciation. However, Hoose doesn’t quite sell it. Arranged in short chapters with color photographs, snippets of human interactions with mockingbirds are presented loosely chronologically, beginning with Native American references to mockingbirds and ending with 21st-century studies on the birds’ being able to recognize specific humans. Along the way, readers learn a little bit about Thomas Jefferson’s fondness for mockingbirds, songs that reference mockingbirds, the effect of the Civil War on birds, the caged bird trade, women who advocated for bird protection, and Charles Darwin, who observed mockingbirds on the Galápagos Islands, among others. Unfortunately, the stories are either presented too superficially or are too limited in depth to begin with to have any great impact, and beyond their chronological order, there is no buildup to a conclusion other than that the mockingbird population (like all birds) is declining, although they are not officially endangered. The book has a decidedly anthropocentric feel to it—the overarching sentiment seems to be that the mockingbird’s primary value lies in its ability to entertain humans with its singing. While the source notes for each chapter give the author’s references, some of the stories nonetheless feel more romanticized than historical.
A mishmash of folklore and history lite that doesn’t quite get off the ground. (index) (Nonfiction. 12-15)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-3743-8877-5
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
From the creators of the popular anthologies Poetry Speaks and Poetry Speaks to Children (2001, 2005) comes another volume, this one aimed at the 12-14 set. Paschen casts a wide net for material, including pieces by William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, Sylvia Plath, Billy Collins, Nikki Grimes and Ogden Nash, among many others. The poems selected deal with themes of particular interest to young teens, such as romance, growing up, loneliness, friendship and identity. An audio CD featuring many of the poets reading their work as well as some poets reading the works of others is included; these clear and powerful readings add a welcome dimension and will no doubt enhance readers’ enjoyment of the collection. The design of the volume, with its funky typefaces and brightly colored cover, will also appeal to young teens. The final pages provide space for readers to add their own poems—a good idea, because after paging through this eclectic and powerful anthology many will indeed be inspired to take up the pen. (About the Contributors) (Poetry with audio CD. 12-14)
Pub Date: April 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4022-1074-7
Page Count: 176
Publisher: The History Press/Trafalgar
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
A brief discussion of the development and persistence of gender roles acts as an introduction to this excellent overview of what it has meant to be a girl in this country, from pre-colonial times to the present. Colman (Rosie the Riveter, 1995, etc.) never resorts to a generic ideal or tells the story as if she is speaking of an “everygirl”; instead, she allows a narrative to emerge from the histories and words of real people, from every social, ethnic, and economic level in the US. Some of the subjects and speakers are well-known, others are not (although they probably ought to be), but all are interesting and inspiring. Alice Greenough, daughter of “Packsaddle Ben” Greenough, grew up in the turn-of-the- century Montana wilderness where she did all the things her brothers did; Mary Elizabeth Bowser, a young black woman, worked with Elizabeth Van Lew, a middle-aged white woman, as spies for the Union army; Lilac Chen, a former prostitute in 19th- century San Francisco, tells how her own father sold her into slavery in China when she was only 6; and Yvonne “Eve” Blue, an obviously anorexic 14-year-old, maintained her gaunt frame by limiting herself to 140 calories a day—in 1926. These and dozens of other fascinating people offer more insight into gender roles better than any history text or sociological treatise, in lively writing that is greatly enhanced by page after page of black-and-white photographs, an extensive list of further reading, and a good index. A must-have for most collections. (Nonfiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: March 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-590-37129-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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