developed by Russell Ash ; by Paul Terry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 1, 2013
A great dose of catnip for the mob of world-records enthusiasts.
Terry has amassed here a busy collection of top 10s that run a gamut of topics: machines (like trains, planes and automobiles), animals, stars (those that dazzle in the heavens), stars (those that dazzle on stage), sports, freaks of nature, buildings, the mind and body—with multiple top 10s within each topic. (All games and movies referred to are rated for 12 and under.) Though the title claims these chart busters are “for boys,” there is no reason to think that girls wouldn’t find them equally irresistible (“This is the first ever T-10 that is exclusively for boys!” barks the “Welcome” page). Each page buzzes with lists and boxed items and dizzies with slews of photographs and fact squibs. Readers are also given opportunities to shuffle various top 10s to fashion their own selections and checklists to notch off those they’ve seen. This is described as “interactive,” a generous use of the term. Still, this collection rarely fails to shock and awe, offering up the gentleman who rode a motorcycle at nearly 400 mph, the highest-earning solo artist of 2012 (Madonna!) and the most fatal riot (took place in Constantinople in A.D. 532)—not to mention the thrill of imagining being one of the select 1,000-plus who annually get ripped apart by saltwater crocodiles. A worthy addition to the ranks of Ripley and Guinness. (Nonfiction. 9-15)
Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-77085-223-5
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Firefly
Review Posted Online: Oct. 19, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2013
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by Stacey A. Lundgren ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2010
Similar to the vignettes found in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, this book’s sentimental collection can’t help but...
Intended for ages 9-12, this collection of 10 true vignettes elucidate the bucket-filling philosophy of being a helpful and caring person.
There is a simple philosophy behind bucket filling. As Lundgren writes in her introduction, “We each have an invisible bucket. When it is full, we feel good—happy, peaceful, grateful, or loving. When it is empty, we feel bad—sad, lonely, angry, and frightened.” Ultimately, we must decide whether to be selfless “bucketfillers” or selfish “bucketdippers,” and through a series of short and sweet anecdotes, the book pushes the idea that it is far better to fill than to dip. The stories focus on regular folks who choose to be a positive force for others in small ways. There is the mom who picks up a gallon of gas for the new family at church and relates her story to the police officer who stops her for speeding. Hearing her story, the officer lets the woman go with only a warning—filling the woman’s bucket rather than dipping into it by issuing a ticket on Christmas Eve. Another vignette tells of a ballet dancer reminiscing about the high school teacher who not only allowed her to find solace in dance during the darkest days of her parents’ divorce, but was there with an extra hug when needed. While the stories are often overtly sentimental (seemingly cut from the same cloth as a Hallmark card commercial), each effectively demonstrates that it is just as easy to do good in this world as it is to do ill or nothing. All of the tales culminate with a set of discussion questions that allow the reader to bring her own insight into what she has just read; perfect for a classroom setting. This trains the reader to get into the proper mind-set to use the bucket-filling philosophy in her own life. Despite the book’s slight feel (10 stories in just over 100 pages), the reader will be left hard pressed not to fill more buckets in her life.
Similar to the vignettes found in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, this book’s sentimental collection can’t help but warm your heart.Pub Date: April 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0984336609
Page Count: 110
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by Wafa’ Tarnowska & illustrated by Carole Hénaff ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 1, 2010
In a large, handsome format, Tarnowska offers six tales plus an abbreviated version of the frame story, retold in formal but contemporary language and sandwiched between a note on the Nights’ place in her childhood in Lebanon and a page of glossary and source notes. Rather than preserve the traditional embedded structure and cliffhanger cutoffs, she keeps each story discrete and tones down the sex and violence. This structure begs the question of why Shahriyar lets Shahrazade [sic] live if she tells each evening’s tale complete, but it serves to simplify the reading for those who want just one tale at a time. Only the opener, “Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp,” is likely to be familiar to young readers; in others a prince learns to control a flying “Ebony Horse” by “twiddling” its ears, contending djinn argue whether “Prince Kamar el Zaman [or] Princess Boudour” is the more beautiful (the prince wins) and in a Cinderella tale a “Diamond Anklet” subs for the glass slipper. Hénaff’s stylized scenes of domed cityscapes and turbaned figures add properly whimsical visual notes to this short but animated gathering. (Folktales. 10-12)
Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-84686-122-2
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Barefoot Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 22, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2010
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