Hunter (Cross A Bridge, p. 268) offers an accessible, often soaring first look at skyscrapers. Beginning with the ten- story Home Insurance Building in Chicago, the book traces the evolution of tall buildings, concluding with a model for the would-be Sky City 1000 in Japan. Clear, single-sentence explanations for terms such as beams, columns, foundation, pilings meet the needs of the youngest construction-watchers, while the roles of the people behind the structures, engineers and ironworkers, are touched on. Specific buildings are displayed against a world map on the endpapers and in a graph-like spread that visually compares the heights of five towers. With a clean, graphic style similar to Donald Crews’s work, Miller’s compositions use geometric shapes to fine advantage. Bold black steel and scaffolding cut the flat planes of sky-blue backgrounds, while skewed angles and details such as a light-dotted nighttime skyline add interest. (Picture book/nonfiction. 2-5)
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1998
ISBN: 0-8234-1372-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1998
Inside a colorful garden, some plants “grow up,” while others “grow down, and still others grow “around and around.” This catchy, rhyming refrain, with some variation, introduces children to an abundance of garden vegetables and legumes, including corn, carrots, cucumbers, peppers, potatoes, broccoli, beets, green beans, okra, onions and tomatoes, as well as the ambiguous pumpkin, and follows them from seed to plant to lunch. The different plants are shown sprouting under and above ground, and youngsters will delight in the bird- and mole’s-eye perspectives. Energetic watercolor-and-ink illustrations, inhabited by multiracial tots, a farmer, a scarecrow, friendly bugs, worms, crows, rabbits and, of course, a plethora of seeds, plants and produce, are a feast for the eyes and will whet children’s appetites for further knowledge—and for a very healthy lunch. An inviting introduction to the wonder of plants, food and gardening, this charming selection will be a favorite of teachers, students and home readers alike. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: April 1, 2007
ISBN: 0-7636-2378-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2007
Through quick thinking and personal sacrifice, a wise old Japanese farmer saves the people of his village from a devastating tsunami in this simple yet striking story based on Lafcadio Hearn’s “A Living God.” Ojiisan lives in a cottage on a mountain overlooking the village and sea. One day, villagers gather to celebrate the rice harvest, but Ojiisan stays home thinking “something does not feel right.” When the earth quakes and the sea darkens and runs away from the land, Ojiisan realizes a tsunami approaches. Fearing the oblivious villagers will be swept away, Ojiisan torches his rice fields to attract attention, and they respond, barely escaping the monster wave. Rendered in gouache, pastel and collage, Young’s illustrations cleverly combine natural textures, bold colors and abstract shapes to convey compelling images of chaos and disaster as the rice fields burn and the wave rushes in. In one literally breathtaking double-page spread, an enormous wall of water engulfs the teeny seacoast village. A visually powerful and dramatic tribute to one man’s willingness to sacrifice everything for others. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-399-25006-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2008
BOOK REVIEW
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