by Robert Maass ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 2007
Small trucks accomplish Herculean tasks with aplomb and finesse. Maass’s collection includes those weird, flat vehicles towing jumbo jets to the runway and the street sweeper that satisfies one’s sense of urban bien-être. There’s the phone truck, which, perhaps even more than the ambulance, keeps us alive in our brave new electronic world; the garbage truck protecting the everyday from becoming a toxic miasma; the Zamboni that cleans the ice for the players; and the mail truck that delivers the birthday invitations, glad tidings and grim repercussions. And, of course, there’s the ice-cream truck—really, who doesn’t like to see that dispenser of all things good (except, perhaps, its neverending, chiming ditty). In a simple exposition, Maass provides a full-color photograph set opposite large-font text that offers a very brief description of the role each plays, demonstrating convincingly that small is beautiful, even for truck lovers. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-8050-7748-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2007
Share your opinion of this book
More by Robert Maass
BOOK REVIEW
by Robert Maass & photographed by Robert Maass
BOOK REVIEW
by Maxine Rosenberg & illustrated by Robert Maass
BOOK REVIEW
by Robert Maass & photographed by Robert Maass
by Phyllis Root ; illustrated by G. Brian Karas ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 14, 2017
This pleasant look at gardening in a city setting reflects a growing trend.
Several inner-city children work together to plant seeds and cultivate their own gardens, transforming their little “anywhere farms” into a lush, green community garden covering a vacant city lot.
A pink-cheeked little girl in overalls receives a single seed from a helpful tan-skinned neighbor on the title page, and she then inspires a flurry of gardening in her neighborhood with children and adults of different ethnicities joining in, including a white boy who uses a wheelchair. The bouncy, rhyming text conveys the basic requirements of growing plants from seeds as well as suggesting a wide variety of unusual containers for growing plants. Several leading questions about the plant growth cycle are interspersed within the story, set in large type on full pages that show a seed gradually sprouting and growing into a huge sunflower on the final, wordless page. The joyful text makes growing flowers and vegetables seem easy, showing plants spilling out of alternative containers as well as more traditional raised beds and the concluding, large garden plot. The text focuses on the titular concept of an “anywhere farm,” without differentiating between farms and gardens, but this conceit is part of the amusing, rollicking tone. Detailed, soft-focus illustrations in mixed media use an autumnal palette of muted green, peach, and tan that don’t quite match the buoyant flavor of the cheerful text.
This pleasant look at gardening in a city setting reflects a growing trend. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 14, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7499-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2016
Share your opinion of this book
More by Phyllis Root
BOOK REVIEW
by Phyllis Root & Gary D. Schmidt ; illustrated by Melissa Sweet
BOOK REVIEW
by Liza Ketchum & Jacqueline Briggs Martin & Phyllis Root ; illustrated by Claudia McGehee
BOOK REVIEW
by Phyllis Root ; illustrated by Betsy Bowen
by Marie Boyd ; illustrated by Marie Boyd ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 14, 2023
Unusual illustrations enhance an engaging, informative narrative.
What can a worm do?
A little worm sets off on a “twirl” to “see the world.” But when it overhears a human referring to it as “just a worm,” its feelings are hurt. The worm asks other critters—including a caterpillar, a spider, a dragonfly—what they can do. After each answer (turn into a butterfly, spin silk thread, fly), the worm becomes more and more dejected because it can’t do any of these things. “Maybe I am just a worm.” But then the worm encounters a ladybug, who eats aphids and other insects, and the worm realizes that it eats dead plants and animals and keeps gardens clean. And though the worm can’t pollinate like the bee, it does create castings (poop) that help plants grow and stay healthy. These abilities, the worm realizes in triumph, are important! The cleverness of this story lies in its lighthearted, effective dissemination of information about various insects as well as earthworms. It doesn’t hurt that the expressive little worm is downright adorable, with emotions that will resonate with anyone who has felt unimportant. The stunning illustrations are done in quilled paper—a centuries-old technique that involves assembling strips of colored paper into shapes—which adds sparkle and originality. A tutorial of how to make a quilled butterfly and a page on earthworm facts round out the book. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Unusual illustrations enhance an engaging, informative narrative. (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 14, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-06-321256-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
Share your opinion of this book
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
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.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.