PLB 0-688-11390-7 South Africa by day is a bustling city with tall buildings, teeming crowds, and busy markets; but at night the animals reign. After showing people in Johannesburg and a toddler asleep in her bed, Isadora (Isadora Dances, p. 113, etc.) moves viewers to Kruger National Park. The black mamba snake raises its head for a meal, lions and hungry leopards roam and hunt, and the peaceful elephant and her young drink at a water hole beneath a starry sky. As the sun rises, the animals slumber and the people again take to the streets. This juxtaposition of viewpoints will help children understand some of the contrasts of contemporary Africa. The illustrations of busy, daytime Johannesburg are colorful and full of detail, while scenes at the animal park are murky, conveying both a sense of the shadowy unknown and the vast open spaces. Ghost-like lionesses move in a smoky landscape of gray and tan where there is no visible demarcation between ground and sky. An astonishing sunrise scene finds the animals settling down under a wide orange sky, while the city market comes alive with flower-sellers and shoppers, ready for a new day. Children will be fascinated by this co-existence—a peaceable kingdom of sorts, with every rotation of the earth. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: April 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-688-11389-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1998
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The lifecycle of the frog is succinctly summarized in this easy reader for children reading at the late first-grade level. In just one or two sentences per page, Vern details the amazing metamorphosis of the frog from egg to tadpole to adult, even injecting a little humor despite the tight word count. (“Watch out fly! Mmmm!) Large, full-color photographs on white backgrounds clearly illustrate each phase of development. Without any mention of laying eggs or fertilization, the title might be a bit misleading, but the development from black dot egg to full-grown frog is fascinating. A simple chart of the three main lifecycle steps is also included. Lifecycles are part of the standard curriculum in the early elementary grades, and this will be a welcome addition to school and public libraries, both for its informational value and as an easy reader. (Nonfiction/easy reader. 5-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-15-216304-2
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Green Light/Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2001
A light dose of natural history, with occasional “EWWW!” for flavor
Having surveyed worms, spiders, flies, and head lice, Gravel continues her Disgusting Critters series with a quick hop through toad fact and fancy.
The facts are briefly presented in a hand-lettered–style typeface frequently interrupted by visually emphatic interjections (“TOXIN,” “PREY,” “EWWW!”). These are, as usual, paired to simply drawn cartoons with comments and punch lines in dialogue balloons. After casting glances at the common South American ancestor of frogs and toads, and at such exotic species as the Emei mustache toad (“Hey ladies!”), Gravel focuses on the common toad, Bufo bufo. Using feminine pronouns throughout, she describes diet and egg-laying, defense mechanisms, “warts,” development from tadpole to adult, and of course how toads shed and eat their skins. Noting that global warming and habitat destruction have rendered some species endangered or extinct, she closes with a plea and, harking back to those South American origins, an image of an outsized toad, arm in arm with a dark-skinned lad (in a track suit), waving goodbye: “Hasta la vista!”
A light dose of natural history, with occasional “EWWW!” for flavor . (Informational picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-77049-667-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2016
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