Mathews's first is a capsule history of the rise and fall of the Aztec Empire, focusing on La Noche Triste—June 30, 1520—when CortÇs, retreating from its capital Tenochtitlan, lost two-thirds of his men, most of his weaponry, and the Aztec treasure in the waters of Lake Texcoco. A year later he laid siege to the city and destroyed it. The treasure was never recovered; presumably it lies under Mexico City, built on Tenochtitlan's ruins and the filled-in lake bed. The complicated, eventful story is dramatically (and even poetically) condensed and retold, though background information may be needed to explain both sides' motivations and maneuvers. Likewise, the striking authenticity of the ink-and-watercolor illustrations may not be fully appreciated without some understanding of the conventions of Aztec glyphs and codex art. Intriguing details that may need elucidation include the floating gardens (``chinampas''), priests smeared with black ointment, and smoke belching from the volcano Popocatapetl. Human sacrifice is mentioned but not illustrated, nor is its importance in Aztec life (or the importance of warfare to secure sacrificial victims) emphasized. Excellent as a supplement to instructional units and as an introduction to Aztec art. (Nonfiction/Picture book. 6-9)
Pub Date: April 18, 1994
ISBN: 0-395-63035-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1994
Strong rhythms and occasional full or partial rhymes give this account of P.T. Barnum’s 1884 elephant parade across the newly opened Brooklyn Bridge an incantatory tone. Catching a whiff of public concern about the new bridge’s sturdiness, Barnum seizes the moment: “’I will stage an event / that will calm every fear, erase every worry, / about that remarkable bridge. / My display will amuse, inform / and astound some. / Or else my name isn’t Barnum!’” Using a rich palette of glowing golds and browns, Roca imbues the pachyderms with a calm solidity, sending them ambling past equally solid-looking buildings and over a truly monumental bridge—which soars over a striped Big Top tent in the final scene. A stately rendition of the episode, less exuberant, but also less fictionalized, than Phil Bildner’s Twenty-One Elephants (2004), illustrated by LeUyen Pham. (author’s note, resource list) (Picture book. 7-9)
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2005
ISBN: 0-618-44887-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2005
Hodgkins’s entry in the Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science series draws a visual timeline from centuries back, when humans’ dreams of flying evolved into reality. The succinct, simplified text cites human efforts to fly like birds and describes the aeronautical physics of gliding using drag force, thrust and lift. Kelley’s breezy illustrations convey a buoyant tone and keep the explanations understandable for curious young minds. Two pages of backmatter provide “Flying Facts” and instructions for making a paper airplane. Lightly touching on everything from the days of imagining the winged Icarus and dreaming of wings to today’s nonchalance about air travel, this is a welcome addition to easy science books about humans and flight. (Picture book/nonfiction. 6-9)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-06-029558-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Collins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2007
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