Far from comprehensive but a grand gathering of exploits and role models.
Tributes to more than two dozen women born or resident in the Emerald Isles who scored firsts or otherwise made their marks as social, artistic, athletic, or scientific movers and shakers.
“Changed the World” may be overstating some cases, but with the possible exceptions of Mother Jones and Anne Sullivan, these 28 women will at least be new to young readers on this side of the Atlantic, and all are or were strong, colorful sorts. The chronological roster begins with 16th-century “Pirate Queen of Connacht” Granuaile (O’Malley), then skips ahead to 19th-century novelist Maria Edgeworth, physician Margaret Bulkley (who dressed as a man and practiced as Dr. James Barry), prominent nationalists such as Maud Gonne and Countess Markievicz, film star Maureen O’Hara, Olympians Maeve Kyle and Sonia O’Sullivan, astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell, and former Irish President Mary Robinson. Webb begins each single-page profile with references to her subject’s origins and social class, goes on to brief descriptions of noteworthy experiences or feats, and closes with a handful of additional facts or observations. O’Neill adds lifelike, usually full-body portraits of each figure in period or working dress and smiling confidently. A closing gallery offers eight younger up-and-comers for readers to get acquainted with—including two people of color, track star Gina Akpe-Moses and actor Ruth Negga, who diversify the otherwise all-white cast.
Far from comprehensive but a grand gathering of exploits and role models. (Collective biography. 8-11)Pub Date: June 11, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-78849-004-7
Page Count: 64
Publisher: O'Brien Press/Dufour Editions
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
The balance between information and attractive bookmaking is always important, but atlases like the National Geographic...
Retro-looking maps with pictures of animals, transport, famous landmarks and traditional dancers fill the pages of this mediocre atlas.
The text emphasizes environmental changes and sustainability, with proportionately less information on people. Organizationally, it starts with the oceans, including the two polar areas, and then explores the landmasses. Short, factoid-heavy paragraphs on physical features, climate and weather, natural resources, environment, wildlife and transport accompany each deeply colored map, and in the appropriate regional sections, a paragraph on people and places is added. Although the disproportionately sized pictures of landmarks, natural resources, generic people and miscellany on the maps are identified ("Omani man"; "bus"), too often they are not further explicated. Occasional fold-out pages and small, inserted “Did You Know?” booklets give the illusion of interactivity. Providing comparisons on carbon footprints (“a person in the UAE [United Arab Emirates] on average emits 15 times more than a person in China”) is vital information that seems at odds with the childish maps. A separate wall map (in the same style) is included. The woeful index includes only entries for country names, followed by their capitals.
The balance between information and attractive bookmaking is always important, but atlases like the National Geographic World Atlas for Young Explorers (2007) still remain the gold standard. This struggles to meet the bronze one. (glossary, index, sources; companion app not seen) (Reference. 9-11)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-84686-333-2
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Barefoot Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 23, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
This ageless trickster tale has a nicely subversive message, but this rendition lacks the panache to carry it off.
A wooden retelling of Perrault’s classic tale, with underwhelming movable parts.
Gurney embellishes the original plotline only by furnishing the Ogre with a back story (provided in a very small pasted-in booklet) and bestowing names on the kingdom and most of the characters. Her prose stumbles (“Puss pondered over [sic] the problem of Peter’s livelihood”), and her dialogue runs to stilted lines like, “We have seen your idea of work, Peter—it is to sit around all day playing your harmonica and idling.” Illustrator Kelley does his best to add plenty of visual panache, crafting painted scenes featuring a swashbuckling ginger puss plainly akin to the scene stealer from Shrek and cleverly manipulating a Disney-esque human cast. Such movable additions as a turn-able water wheel, a pull tab that makes Puss lick his chops after devouring the ogre and even a culminating pop-up wedding tableau are, at best, routine, and they often feel like afterthoughts, enhancing neither the art nor the story.
This ageless trickster tale has a nicely subversive message, but this rendition lacks the panache to carry it off. (Pop-up fairy tale. 8-10)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7641-6485-9
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Barron's
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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