Despite the degree of gross humor, Shulman has picked a delightful winner.
It takes something special to get a kid to stop picking his nose—that's just what happens to one unlucky child in Shulman’s (Monster Bash, 2009) story for primary-grade readers.
Nose-picking is a rather touchy subject for kids. They love to laugh about it even as they keep picking, much to the frustration and disgust of parents. In Shulman’s engaging read, one child learns the hard way why nose-picking can be something others find distasteful, particularly when the digging is done in public places. Synonyms for boogers are legion; most could be categorized as regional slang or just in the questionable vocabulary of the young and young at heart. Called boogies, floaters and plenty more, their popularity–grossness factor has never been in doubt. Consequently, nose-picking has been mined by many authors in the world of young adult and children's literature: Writers such as Carolyn Beck (Richard Was a Picker) and Gordon Korman (the Nose Pickers From Outer Space series) have tackled admittedly crude subject matter, typically in a grossly humorous and slightly educational manner. Shulman's light tale takes a similar slant, showing the negative aspects of nose-picking via the amusing situation of an old man rooting in his nostrils next to a mom and her nose-picking–addicted son, and the subsequent gross-out that encounter entails. Richly illustrated by Mike Motz, the wildly vivid, colorful drawings provide a freshness and dry sarcasm to the tale. The young nose-picker learns how his obsession differs from his dad's with ear hair or his grandfather's with fake teeth. Of course, some readers may find the story a bit over the top in regard to its descriptive prose and illustrated mucus—particularly the green slime wearing pilot's goggles—but for others, Shulman's tale could be the perfect way to break a child's bad habit.
Despite the degree of gross humor, Shulman has picked a delightful winner.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0984179411
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Lillian Blanche
Review Posted Online: March 12, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
As the reteller states in his preface, “Myths allow us to recognize our proper role in the web of life,” but this anthology...
Twelve folk tales from various Amazonian cultures are retold, but their audience is unclear.
A full-bleed illustration opens each myth, with greens, browns, oranges and golds predominating. The short myths and pourquoi tales feel fragmentary, although the longer stories are just as confusing. Perhaps the convoluted publishing history is to blame. Popov, the Russian illustrator, created the intricately dreamlike gouache and India ink paintings for an academic collection of Brazilian tales. (Humans wear few clothes, as is natural in this region.) Groundwood and a Brazilian publisher wanted to reuse the illustrations and invited Munduruku to present selected tales in a voice that is unquestionably authentic but will probably feel unfamiliar to North American readers, particularly young readers accustomed to European-American storytelling voices. Eight different groups are represented, but the book doesn’t provide information about the different cultures; strong relationships among the region’s flora and fauna and its indigenous groups are revealed. There is no map, but there is an excellent glossary. Readers hoping for drawings of the many local animals and plants mentioned will be disappointed.
As the reteller states in his preface, “Myths allow us to recognize our proper role in the web of life,” but this anthology will require an intermediary who can creatively make the connections between the text and its readers. (Folk tales. 9-12)Pub Date: May 14, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-55498-185-4
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013
Snazzy! Funky! Cool stuff, not boring! Somehow the vocabulary seems a little dated, but the idea is fairly neat: making stencils, collages and other items to personalize backpacks, tabletops, jeans and even your skin (jagua or henna tattoos).
There are 14 projects divided into three sections: Clothes, Accessories and Room, as in your bedroom. While gender is not mentioned, the overall feel is girls-only, but most of these crafts could certainly be enjoyed by decorative-minded young dudes. For each project, there is a list of supplies and caveats (“ask an adult to help if you are not used to ironing”). Instructions are clear and straightforward, although possibly not detailed enough for readers who might never have used fabric paint before. Each project is preceded by a large double-page spread for practice, with an outline image of jeans, backpack, tabletop or other item to test ideas upon. The images used are very simple and meant to encourage any young designer to try a hand at appliquéing a T-shirt or making a polymer-clay doughnut to add to headphones. A glossary of terms is included, although some of the terms and their definitions have a definite British slant. A list of web sources would have been most useful. All in all, nifty stuff for the artistically inclined. (Nonfiction. 9-14)
Pub Date: May 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-7624-4929-3
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013
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