WHAT IS A WISE BIRD LIKE YOU DOING IN A SILLY TALE LIKE THIS?

Name: WHAT IS A WISE BIRD LIKE YOU DOING IN A SILLY TALE LIKE THIS?
Author: Uri Shulevitz
ISBN: 0-374-38300-6

by Uri Shulevitz & illustrated by Uri Shulevitz ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 13, 2000

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The much-honored Shulevitz (Snow, 1998, etc.) presents a glorious farrago of good sense and nonsense woven through several linked trickster tales. He matches a hard-to-summarize array of stories-within-stories to scenes of richly dressed noodleheads flying through the air or tottering about unstable-looking landscapes while sporting tall, silly hats and confused expressions. Subjects involve a glib-talking bird who repeatedly escapes captivity; the greedy Emperor of Pickleberry (Pop. 26 ½); his twin brother, who is also the palace janitor; a certain candlestick; a bear in a barrel; and much, much more. Though the general atmosphere is distinctly Chelmish—Shulevitz adapts stories learned from his mother for parts of this—beneath all the loopy logic and kaleidoscopic plotting is a pointed celebration of the triumph of wit over power. Nonetheless, readers who prefer tidy beginning-middle-end tales with clear lessons had best steer clear. (Picture book. 7-9)

Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2000

ISBN: 0-374-38300-6

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2000

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
CHANCE
by Uri Shulevitz

- BOOK REVIEW
TROTO AND THE TRUCKS
by Uri Shulevitz ; illustrated by Uri Shulevitz

- BOOK REVIEW
DUSK
by Uri Shulevitz ; illustrated by Uri Shulevitz

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BOOKMARKS ARE PEOPLE TOO!

From the Here's Hank series , Vol. 1

by Henry Winkler ; Lin Oliver ; illustrated by Scott Garrett ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 14, 2014

An uncomplicated opener, with some funny bits and a clear but not heavy agenda.

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Hank Zipzer, poster boy for dyslexic middle graders everywhere, stars in a new prequel series highlighting second-grade trials and triumphs.

Hank’s hopes of playing Aqua Fly, a comic-book character, in the upcoming class play founder when, despite plenty of coaching and preparation, he freezes up during tryouts. He is not particularly comforted when his sympathetic teacher adds a nonspeaking role as a bookmark to the play just for him. Following the pattern laid down in his previous appearances as an older child, he gets plenty of help and support from understanding friends (including Ashley Wong, a new apartment-house neighbor). He even manages to turn lemons into lemonade with a quick bit of improv when Nick “the Tick” McKelty, the sneering classmate who took his preferred role, blanks on his lines during the performance. As the aforementioned bully not only chokes in the clutch and gets a demeaning nickname, but is fat, boastful and eats like a pig, the authors’ sensitivity is rather one-sided. Still, Hank has a winning way of bouncing back from adversity, and like the frequent black-and-white line-and-wash drawings, the typeface is designed with easy legibility in mind.

An uncomplicated opener, with some funny bits and a clear but not heavy agenda. (Fiction. 7-9)

Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2014

ISBN: 978-0-448-48239-2

Page Count: 128

Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap

Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2014

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
THE CASE OF THE MISSING TADPOLE
by Henry Winkler ; illustrated by Dan Santat & by Lin Oliver

- BOOK REVIEW
THE CASE OF THE STRANGE SPLASH
by Henry Winkler & Lin Oliver ; illustrated by Dan Santat

- BOOK REVIEW
HOLLYWOOD VS. THE GALAXY
by Henry Winkler & Lin Oliver ; illustrated by Ethan Nicolle

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LIKE PICKLE JUICE ON A COOKIE

by Julie Sternberg and illustrated by Matthew Cordell ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2011

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When Bibi, her first and favorite babysitter, moves away, it takes all of August for 8-year-old Eleanor to get beyond her sense of loss and get used to a new caretaker. Her parents grieve, too; her mother even takes some time off work. But, as is inevitable in a two-income family, eventually a new sitter appears. Natalie is sensible and understanding. They find new activities to do together, including setting up a lemonade stand outside Eleanor’s Brooklyn apartment building, waiting for Val, the mail carrier, and taking pictures of flowers with Natalie’s camera. Gradually Eleanor adjusts, September comes, her new teacher writes a welcoming letter, her best friend returns from summer vacation and third grade starts smoothly. Best of all, Val brings a loving letter from Bibi in Florida. While the story is relatively lengthy, each chapter is a self-contained episode, written simply and presented in short lines, accessible to those still struggling with the printed word. Cordell’s gray-scale line drawings reflect the action and help break up the text on almost every page. This first novel is a promising debut. Eleanor’s concerns, not only about her babysitter, but also about playmates, friends and a new school year will be familiar to readers, who will look forward to hearing more about her life. (Fiction. 7-9)