Teachers will cheer to learn that Murphy (Double the Ducks, above, etc.) has added percentages to his entertaining and educational series dealing with math concepts. The famous Grizzly Parade tops off the last week of Camp Grizzly. Sophie and Daniel are in a race for the honor of leading the festivities as camp mascot, when Corey decides that she would also like to run. As the three campaign throughout the camp, handing out candy, printing t-shirts, cartwheeling, and finding out what the campers want from a mascot, the camp’s Grizzly Gazette periodically polls all 100 campers and reports their findings in a pie graph. The pie pieces are labeled with percentages, while the margins show the number of campers who believe they will vote for each candidate. With 100 campers, the numbers of voters and the percentages are equal, making the concept easier for young learners. Social studies teachers should not feel left out, though; this could easily belong to a CitizenStart series, if one existed. Along with the share of votes going to each of the candidates, the pie graph shows the percentage of campers who are undecided. While Daniel and Sophie are busily bribing campers with favors and fancy tricks, Corey comes up with a campaign that will improve Camp Grizzly, and steals the show on Election Day. Murphy includes his standard afterword to help readers get the most from the concepts presented. The section includes activities, suggestions for extending the learning, and a reading list of other books that deal with similar concepts. Björkman’s (Skinny and Fats, Best Friends, p. 1137, etc.) cartoon-like illustrations add to the camp feel and keep young readers searching throughout the pages for easily missed details. Especially delightful is the way he includes the camp critters in the elections. This is not one to be left off elementary bookshelves. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-06-000027-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2002
Trickling, bubbling, swirling, rushing, a river flows down from its mountain beginnings, past peaceful country and bustling city on its way to the sea. Hooper (The Drop in My Drink, 1998, etc.) artfully evokes the water’s changing character as it transforms from “milky-cold / rattling-bold” to a wide, slow “sliding past mudflats / looping through marshes” to the end of its journey. Willey, best known for illustrating Geraldine McCaughrean’s spectacular folk-tale collections, contributes finely detailed scenes crafted in shimmering, intricate blues and greens, capturing mountain’s chill, the bucolic serenity of passing pastures, and a sense of mystery in the water’s shadowy depths. Though Hooper refers to “the cans and cartons / and bits of old wood” being swept along, there’s no direct conservation agenda here (for that, see Debby Atwell’s River, 1999), just appreciation for the river’s beauty and being. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: June 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-7636-0792-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2000
Every year since kindergarten, Harry’s Halloween costume has gotten scarier and scarier. What’s it going to be this year? He’s not telling. His classmates are all stunned when he shows up, not as some monster or a weird alien (well, not really)—but as neatly dressed Sgt. Joe Friday of Dragnet fame, wielding a notebook and out to get “just the facts, ma’am.” As she has in Harry’s 11 previous appearances (15, counting the ones his classmate Song Lee headlines), Kline (Marvin and the Mean Words, 1997, etc.) captures grammar-school atmosphere, personalities, and incidents perfectly, from snits to science projects gone hilariously wrong. She even hands Harry/Friday a chance to exercise his sleuthing abilities, with a supply of baby powder “fairy dust” gone mysteriously missing. As legions of fans have learned to expect, Harry comes through with flying colors, pinning down the remorseful culprit in 11 minutes flat. No surprises here, just reliable, child-friendly, middle-grade fare. Illustrations not seen. (Fiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-670-88864-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
