A boy is late to school, but he has an explanation: It was the wind! Needless to say, his teacher doesn’t believe him, but the boy elaborates nonetheless. First, the wind snatched all of his mother’s laundry, and he had to collect it. Then the wind blew dandelions into a mountain, and he had to climb it. Next, the wind opened the doors to a hat store, and the hats went everywhere. Of course, the hats had to be gathered up. Then traffic signs were flying! Stray cats and dogs were being deposited into grocery bags! Chickens and roosters were floating in air! Next, some fog blew in, and the boy got lost. When the fog cleared, the wind seized the boy and brought him down at the school. By this point, the boy’s teacher has had enough. She’ll take a look outside and find out just what’s going on. But maybe that isn’t such a good idea. . . . Lively charcoal-and-acrylic illustrations and sprightly text portray this adventurous young student on a most unusual day. (Picture book. 4-6)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-7614-5309-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2006
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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Though she never says outright that he was a real person, Kurtz introduces newly emergent readers to the historical John Chapman, walking along the Ohio, planting apple seeds, and bartering seedlings to settlers for food and clothing. Haverfield supplies the legendary portions of his tale, with views of a smiling, stylishly ragged, clean-shaven young man, pot on head, wildlife on shoulder or trailing along behind. Kurtz caps her short, rhythmic text with an invitation to “Clap your hands for Johnny Chapman. / Clap your hands for Johnny Appleseed!” An appealing way to open discussions of our country’s historical or legendary past. (Easy reader/nonfiction. 5-6)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-689-85958-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2004
Categories: CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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Who hasn’t shared the aggravation of a whole day’s worth of bone-rattling hiccups? Poor Skeleton wakes up with a deadly case that he can’t shake, and it’s up to his friend Ghost to think of something to scare them away. Cuyler (Stop, Drop, and Roll, 2001, etc.) cleverly brings readers through the ups and downs of Skeleton’s day, from shower to ball-playing. Home folk remedies (holding his breath, eating sugar) don’t seem to work, but Ghost applies a new perspective startling enough to unhinge listeners and Skeleton alike. While the concept is clever, it’s Schindler’s (How Santa Lost His Job, 2001, etc.) paintings, done with gouache, ink, and watercolor, that carry the day, showing Skeleton’s own unique problems—water pours out of his hollow eyes when he drinks it upside down, his teeth spin out of his head when he brushes them—that make a joke of the circumstances. Oversized spreads open the scene to read-aloud audiences, but hold intimate details for sharp eyes—monster slippers, sugar streaming through the hollow body. For all the hiccupping, this outing has a quiet feel not up to the standards of some of Cuyler’s earlier books, but the right audience will enjoy its fun. (Picture book. 4-6)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-689-84770-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2002
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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