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SHAPES AND THINGS

Name: SHAPES AND THINGS
Author: Tana Hoban

by Tana Hoban ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 10, 1970

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Things to identify, shapes to perceive: like John Reiss' Colors, this is an apparently simple, actually subtle aesthetic exercise. Using photograms—in which three-dimensional objects are recorded on light-sensitive paper without a camera-Miss Hoban reconstitutes in white on black the everyday black-and-white: block forms are silhouetted; knives and forks have a silvery sheen, and through one spoon appear the letters of alphabet soup (that also spill over from endpapers to title page). Together the teeth of a comb, the bristles of a toothbrush, the squeezed outline of a toothpaste tube have a tactile presence; and in an assemblage of sewing articles, buttons and spools are contoured while the lace recalls an early photogram mistaken for the real thing. A pail and shovel are rial white on black—and on grains of sand like a star-flecked sky; in a spread of kitchen utensils a strainer is a dimity grid and the basketed eggs glimmer like glass decoys. The marvels mount—a mysteriously luminous shell, a lollipop glimpsed through speckled cellophane, the fierce skeleton of a fish. The images are both material and dematerialized, and the familiar yields a startling beauty.

Pub Date: Aug. 10, 1970

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Macmillan

Review Posted Online: April 29, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1970

- BOOK REVIEW
CUBES, CONES, CYLINDERS, & SPHERES
by Tana Hoban

- BOOK REVIEW
SO MANY CIRCLES, SO MANY SQUARES
by Tana Hoban & illustrated by Tana Hoban

- BOOK REVIEW
CONSTRUCTION ZONE
by Tana Hoban & illustrated by Tana Hoban

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HOW TO CATCH A REINDEER

by Alice Walstead ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 4, 2022

These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience.

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The How to Catch A… crew try for Comet.

Having already failed to nab a Halloween witch, the Easter Bunny, a turkey, a leprechaun, the Tooth Fairy, and over a dozen other iconic trophies in previous episodes of this bestselling series, one would think the racially diverse gaggle of children in Elkerton’s moonlit, wintry scenes would be flagging…but no, here they lay out snares ranging from a loop of garland to an igloo baited with reindeer moss to an enticing candy cane maze, all in hopes of snagging one of Santa’s reindeer while he’s busy delivering presents. Infused with pop culture–based Christmas cheer (“Now I’ve already seen the shelf with the elf”), Comet prances past the traps until it’s time to gather up the kids, most of whom look terrified, for a group snapshot with the other reindeer and then climb back into harness: “This was a great stop but a few million to go / Christmas Eve must continue with style!” Though festive, the verse feels trite and unlikely to entice youngsters. A sprinkling of “True Facts About Reindeer” (“They live in the tundra, where they have friends like the arctic bunny”) wrap up this celebration of the predatory spirit. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience. (Picture book. 5-7)

Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022

ISBN: 9781728276137

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland

Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS | CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
HOW TO CATCH BIGFOOT
by Alice Walstead ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton

- BOOK REVIEW
HOW TO CATCH AN INVISIBLE BAD GUY
by Alice Walstead ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton

- BOOK REVIEW
HOW TO CATCH A GROUNDHOG
by Alice Walstead ; illustrated by Emma Gillette & Andy Elkerton

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HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS!

by Dr. Seuss ; illustrated by Dr. Seuss ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 12, 1957

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Another Seuss-chimera joins the ranks of the unforgettable Herlar and with the advent of the Grinch— a sort of Yule Ghoul who lives in a cave just north of who-ville. While all the Who's made ready on Christmas Eve the Grinch donned a Santa-Claus disguise. In gurgling verse at a galloping gait, we learn how the Grinch stole the "presents, the ribbons, the wrappings, the tags, the tinsel and trappings," from all the Who's. But the Grinch's heart (two sizes too small) melted just in time when he realized that the Who's enjoyed Christmas without any externals. Youngsters will be in transports over the goofy gaiety of Dr. Seuss's first book about a villain — easily the best Christmas-cad since Scrooge. Inimitable Seuss illustrations of the Grinch's dog Max disguised as a reindeer are in black and white with touches of red. Irrepressible and irresistible.