A clearly written, brief—but surprisingly complete— discussion of the brain and its parts. While the format resembles the ``Let's-Read-and-Find-Out'' series, the information and concepts here are for an older audience and require careful reading; compressing the functioning of the brain into eight sentences, for example, is a remarkable feat. Though there is no glossary or index, specialized words (``glial,'' ``synapse'') are defined in the text. Colorful, amusing illustrations show a multiracial group of children joining the slightly loony Dr. I.Q. in his lab, participating in experiments, and commenting on the text (``He should sing tenor''; ``Yeah, ten or eleven miles away!''). The drawings also add sly humor: piles of books with titles like ``Moby Brain,'' or ``Brains I Have Known'' by S. Freud. An appealing, and unusual, sort of introduction. (Nonfiction. 12+)
Pub Date: March 12, 1993
ISBN: 1-878093-27-4
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1993
The Pumpkin Book (32 pp.; $16.95; Sept. 15; 0-8234-1465-5): From seed to vine and blossom to table, Gibbons traces the growth cycle of everyone’s favorite autumn symbol—the pumpkin. Meticulous drawings detail the transformation of tiny seeds to the colorful gourds that appear at roadside stands and stores in the fall. Directions for planting a pumpkin patch, carving a jack-o’-lantern, and drying the seeds give young gardeners the instructions they need to grow and enjoy their own golden globes. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1999
ISBN: 0-8234-1465-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
Miranda’s book counts the monsters gathering at a birthday party, while a simple rhyming text keeps the tally and surveys the action: “Seven starved monsters are licking the dishes./Eight blow out candles and make birthday wishes.” The counting proceeds to ten, then by tens to fifty, then gradually returns to one, which makes the monster’s mother, a purple pin-headed octopus, very happy. The book is surprisingly effective due to Powell’s artwork; the color has texture and density, as if it were poured onto the page, but the real attention-getter is the singularity of every monster attendee. They are highly individual and, therefore, eminently countable. As the numbers start crawling upward, it is both fun and a challenge to try to recognize monsters who have appeared in previous pages, or to attempt to stay focused when counting the swirling or bunched creatures. The story has glints of humor, and in combination with the illustrations is a grand addition to the counting shelf. (Picture book. 3-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-201835-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999
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