bookshelf

JUMA AND THE HONEY GUIDE

Name: JUMA AND THE HONEY GUIDE
Author: Robin Bernard
ISBN: 0-382-39163-2

by Robin Bernard & illustrated by Nneka Bennett ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 1996

bookshelf

In this story set among the Dorobo tribe in Africa, a father and his son follow the bird known as the honey guide out of the village, through the tall yellow grass, past friendly wildlife to a nest full of honey. The father, or baba, smokes out the bees, knocks the hive from the tree, and shares the honey with his son, then breaks off a part of the honeycomb for the bird. Juma complains that the piece is too big: ``I think we should take it all home.'' His father explains that it would be selfish to do that, but Juma remains unconvinced until Baba threatens him: In the future, the angry bird might lead Juma to a hungry lion instead of honey. Juma complies with his father's wishes. This is an amiable tale, even if the moral seems to be ``share or else.'' The language is stilted and lacks the lyrical quality of April Pulley Sayre's If You Should Hear a Honey Guide (1995), but full-bleed drawings in gold and brown capture the breadth of the habitat. The father and son, bronzed and muscled, are powerfully modeled and distinctive. An author's note gives more information on this unusual bird. (glossary) (Picture book. 7-10)

Pub Date: July 1, 1996

ISBN: 0-382-39163-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1996

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

bookshelf

RIVER STORY

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

bookshelf

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

bookshelf

BOOKMARKS ARE PEOPLE TOO!

From the Here's Hank series , Vol. 1

by Henry Winkler ; Lin Oliver ; illustrated by Scott Garrett ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 14, 2014

An uncomplicated opener, with some funny bits and a clear but not heavy agenda.

bookshelf

Hank Zipzer, poster boy for dyslexic middle graders everywhere, stars in a new prequel series highlighting second-grade trials and triumphs.

Hank’s hopes of playing Aqua Fly, a comic-book character, in the upcoming class play founder when, despite plenty of coaching and preparation, he freezes up during tryouts. He is not particularly comforted when his sympathetic teacher adds a nonspeaking role as a bookmark to the play just for him. Following the pattern laid down in his previous appearances as an older child, he gets plenty of help and support from understanding friends (including Ashley Wong, a new apartment-house neighbor). He even manages to turn lemons into lemonade with a quick bit of improv when Nick “the Tick” McKelty, the sneering classmate who took his preferred role, blanks on his lines during the performance. As the aforementioned bully not only chokes in the clutch and gets a demeaning nickname, but is fat, boastful and eats like a pig, the authors’ sensitivity is rather one-sided. Still, Hank has a winning way of bouncing back from adversity, and like the frequent black-and-white line-and-wash drawings, the typeface is designed with easy legibility in mind.

An uncomplicated opener, with some funny bits and a clear but not heavy agenda. (Fiction. 7-9)