A detailed story for horse lovers that offers real-world knowledge and messages of strength and purpose.
A YA novel about a young woman and her long-lost stallion taking separate journeys toward fulfillment.
This equine adventure, set in the horse countries of Portugal, California, and Australia, is the first of three planned books in the A Tale of Two Horses series. Horse trainer Anna dreams of becoming a cavaleira (a woman “who fights the bulls on horseback”), so she’s heartbroken when her father sells her favorite young Lusitano stallion, Ulme. As Anna embarks on a search for him, Ulme is resold and ill-used in the bullfighting ring, finally ending up in an Australian dressage stable with a friendly barn-mate named Noodles. The story is illustrated by photographs and enlivened by well-crafted crises (a fire, a flooded barn, injuries, and illness) and colorful turns of phrase, such as Noodles’ view of freestyle horse-and-rider choreography: “That’s a lot of harrumph to push around the arena for six minutes.” As Ulme and Anna find their destinies in dressage, the narration shifts among Anna, the two horses, and fellow trainer Erika; other equine and human voices appear along the way. Layne draws from stories of real-life horses for inspiration, offers details of dressage and other horse facts, and highlights the bonds among horses, riders, and trainers—enough to satisfy any horse fan. However, there are a few errors here and there: the word “smite” is used instead of “spite,” a few lines of text repeat, and the pronunciation of the riding term “levade” is given as “la-veed.” The book also presents bullfighting as a noble sport, showing sympathy for “magnificent horses and cavaleiros” but not for the bulls; Layne explains that in this style of bullfighting, “the bull is not harmed,” as it uses Velcro-tipped poles instead of spears. The book includes a glossary, the stories of the real-life Ulme and Noodles, poems, commentary, and a preview of the next volume in the series.
A detailed story for horse lovers that offers real-world knowledge and messages of strength and purpose.Pub Date: Dec. 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9969349-1-6
Page Count: 122
Publisher: Noodles Tales Publishing
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Playful, engaging, and full of opportunities for empathy—a raucous storytime hit.
Readers try to dislodge a monster from the pages of this emotive and interactive read-aloud.
“OH NO!” the story starts. “There’s a monster in your book!” The blue, round-headed monster with pink horns and a pink-tipped tail can be seen cheerfully munching on the opening page. “Let’s try to get him out,” declares the narrator. Readers are encouraged to shake, tilt, and spin the book around, while the monster careens around an empty background looking scared and lost. Viewers are exhorted to tickle the monster’s feet, blow on the page, and make a really loud noise. Finally, shockingly, it works: “Now he’s in your room!” But clearly a monster in your book is safer than a monster in your room, so he’s coaxed back into the illustrations and lulled to sleep, curled up under one page and cuddling a bit of another like a child with their blankie. The monster’s entirely cute appearance and clear emotional reactions to his treatment add to the interactive aspect, and some young readers might even resist the instructions to avoid hurting their new pal. Children will be brought along on the monster’s journey, going from excited, noisy, and wiggly to calm and steady (one can hope).
Playful, engaging, and full of opportunities for empathy—a raucous storytime hit. (Picture book. 2-7)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5247-6456-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: June 4, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Simple, bella, un regalo permenente: simple and beautiful, a gift that will stay.
Renowned Latin American writer Alvarez has created another story about cultural identity, but this time the primary character is 11-year-old Miguel Guzmán.
When Tía Lola arrives to help the family, Miguel and his hermana, Juanita, have just moved from New York City to Vermont with their recently divorced mother. The last thing Miguel wants, as he's trying to fit into a predominantly white community, is a flamboyant aunt who doesn't speak a word of English. Tía Lola, however, knows a language that defies words; she quickly charms and befriends all the neighbors. She can also cook exotic food, dance (anywhere, anytime), plan fun parties, and tell enchanting stories. Eventually, Tía Lola and the children swap English and Spanish ejercicios, but the true lesson is "mutual understanding." Peppered with Spanish words and phrases, Alvarez makes the reader as much a part of the "language" lessons as the characters. This story seamlessly weaves two culturaswhile letting each remain intact, just as Miguel is learning to do with his own life. Like all good stories, this one incorporates a lesson just subtle enough that readers will forget they're being taught, but in the end will understand themselves, and others, a little better, regardless of la lengua nativa—the mother tongue.
Simple, bella, un regalo permenente: simple and beautiful, a gift that will stay. (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-375-80215-0
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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