A child-friendly approach to art history, likely to spark interest in the originals and inspire gallery visits.
In this Swiss import, translated from French, a human and an orange tabby conduct a tour of art featuring dogs throughout history.
As in 2023’s Dogs Who Work, Aloise and Tissot once more spotlight our four-legged friends, but this time, they focus on the role that canines have played in art, from symbols of wealth and loyalty in Paolo Veronese’s painting The Wedding at Cana (1563) to agents of aggression and danger in Banksy’s mural Choose Your Weapon (2010). The entries, each accompanied by a caricaturelike illustration, are divided by type: painting, photography, street art, and sculpture. Text boxes or bubbles offer facts, including title, artist, country of origin, and brief details. A tan-skinned guide, clad in a flowered skirt and red beret, adds commentary, while the cat provides comic relief, sometimes playing the philistine. An introductory map emphasizes the book’s historical and global scope, highlighting, for instance, rock art in Saudi Arabia dating between 7000 and 6000 B.C.E. The range of artists is diverse, from Frida Kahlo, Annie Leibovitz, and Miss Tic to Jean-Michel Basquiat, Fernando Botero, and Teru Ando. Both author and illustrator approach their work with an enticing playfulness, as in the entry on Jeff Koons’ Balloon Dogs, though some adults may be disturbed by the depiction of urine and excrement in Basquiat’s Dealer’s Dog.
A child-friendly approach to art history, likely to spark interest in the originals and inspire gallery visits. (historical overview) (Nonfiction. 7-12)Pub Date: April 7, 2026
ISBN: 9783039641239
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Helvetiq
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
Like oil itself, this is a book that needs to be handled with special care.
In 1977, the oil carrier Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of oil into a formerly pristine Alaskan ocean inlet, killing millions of birds, animals, and fish. Despite a cleanup, crude oil is still there.
The Winters foretold the destructive powers of the atomic bomb allusively in The Secret Project (2017), leaving the actuality to the backmatter. They make no such accommodations to young audiences in this disturbing book. From the dark front cover, on which oily blobs conceal a seabird, to the rescuer’s sad face on the back, the mother-son team emphasizes the disaster. A relatively easy-to-read and poetically heightened text introduces the situation. Oil is pumped from the Earth “all day long, all night long, / day after day, year after year” in “what had been unspoiled land, home to Native people // and thousands of caribou.” The scale of extraction is huge: There’s “a giant pipeline” leading to “enormous ships.” Then, crash. Rivers of oil gush out over three full-bleed wordless pages. Subsequent scenes show rocks, seabirds, and sea otters covered with oil. Finally, 30 years later, animals have returned to a cheerful scene. “But if you lift a rock… // oil / seeps / up.” For an adult reader, this is heartbreaking. How much more difficult might this be for an animal-loving child?
Like oil itself, this is a book that needs to be handled with special care. (author’s note, further reading) (Informational picture book. 9-12)Pub Date: March 31, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3077-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
IN THE NEWS
An empowering choice.
Shamir and Faulkner take readers on a trip through various moments in U.S. history as they explore the democratic process.
The text begins in 1884, when a young man rides for hours to deliver his local ballot box in the state of Nebraska. The book then jumps in nonlinear fashion from key moment to key moment, explaining its importance: Native Americans were granted citizenship in 1924 (their status as members of sovereign nations goes unmentioned); the emergency number 911 was created in 1968; George Washington was the only presidential candidate ever to run unopposed. The information is divided into general paragraphs that begin with a question and text boxes that supply trivia and provide additional context to the paragraphs. Children’s and teens’ roles are often cited, such as their participation in the civil rights movement and the lowering of the voting age from 21 to 18. The information ranges from national elections to local, expanding on what can be done on a national level and what can occur locally. Along the way, Faulkner includes a diverse mixture of citizens. A range of ethnic groups, minorities, and people of various body sizes and abilities are included, making the book visually welcoming to all readers. An early image depicting a blind woman with both guide dog and cane appears to be the only visual misstep. The backmatter includes a timeline and sources for additional reading.
An empowering choice. (Informational picture book. 7-12)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5247-3807-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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