An amusing educational story to help kids see the Land of the Rising Sun.
An imaginative fourth-grader dreams of flying a plane to Japan with her family, while the family dog has his own secret adventures abroad.
Shelly Gee, an astute young girl at the prestigious Young Achievers Academy, daydreams of becoming a pilot and flying around the world. When her mother and sister suggest that the family travel during their two-week holiday, Shelly is ecstatic. Upon Shelly’s eager proposal, the family decides on Japan as their destination, and they begin preparations for their trip by visiting a local travel agent. Shelly pours over literature about Japan’s food, monetary system, culture and traditions. Meanwhile, Snickers, the family dog, plots how he’ll stow away on the trip. That night, Shelly dreams of flying the family first class to Japan. When they arrive, the family learns about local culture and customs from their friendly guide, Mr. Suzuki, and they partake in various tourist activities including visiting Mount Fuji, visiting the pearl museum and riding the famous bullet train. Gaitlin’s colorful descriptions will help young readers feel that they’re part of the family’s educational journey and Snickers’ own mischievous adventures, unbeknownst to the rest of the family. Shelly’s entertaining, imaginative travels are further enhanced by Reid’s simple, black-and-white illustrations, which appear every three pages or so; more regular placement of the illustrations alongside Gatlin’s clear, easily understandable writing would have aided a beginning reader’s comprehension of the text. Chapters are long enough to be engaging but short enough for young readers to keep up, and Snickers’ storyline will certainly bring the laughs.
An amusing educational story to help kids see the Land of the Rising Sun.Pub Date: March 7, 2013
ISBN: 978-0985108847
Page Count: 112
Publisher: In The Beginning
Review Posted Online: Nov. 21, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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