Guaranteed fun for young readers, who will eye their classroom pets with some suspicion in the future
Classroom pets have a wild night in the halls of Daisy P. Flugelhorn Elementary.
George “GW” Washington the hamster has languished in the prison that is second grade for over three months, and he finally has everything he needs to break out. After the students are gone, he escapes and frees his old buddy Barry the bunny, held in first grade…but then they must brave the worst cellblock, kindergarten, to free their old pal Biter the guinea pig. However, Biter has gone through a slight transformation thanks to exposure to daily happy singing and a shared learning community; she does yoga and calls herself Sunflower now. Just as they are strategizing their escape from the building, Harriet, one of the fourth-grade white mice, informs them that upper-grade pets rule the school. With the muscle (and questionable appetites) of Lucinda the fifth-grade snake, Harriet captures the trio and relocks them up. Can they escape and save the children from Harriet’s evil scheme? Graphic novelist Jamieson aims for a younger crowd than Roller Girl’s (2015) with this slightly sarcastic and totally loony tale of friendship and the quest for freedom…which turns out to not be what GW thought it would be. Refreshingly, she doesn’t rely on such tired graphic tropes as extra-long eyelashes to set her female characters apart.
Guaranteed fun for young readers, who will eye their classroom pets with some suspicion in the future . (Graphic fantasy. 6-10)Pub Date: Feb. 16, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-62779-106-9
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Long Tail Kitty narrates five episodes of his daily life. First he introduces his house and his town, including landmarks from each of his tales. He picks flowers, finds they can talk and plays chase with a bee. In winter he slides on the ice and has cocoa with Good Tall Mouse. He hosts a food fest with friends and refrains from eating all the Choco Crispy Doggy Discs. Finally, he spends an activity-filled day with buddies from outer space. Pien, the colorist for the Printz Award–winning American Born Chinese, liberates her character Long Tail Kitty from his mini-comics in her first solo work for a young audience. The watercolor sequential art on creamy paper in mostly pastels and neutrals is full of action and dry, slight humor—especially the gatefold page of all 70 games LTK plays with his alien friends. That said, the stories meander despite their brevity. The “bonus pages” showing how to draw LTK and his many moods are a plus. Despite its charm, however, this is not a first purchase. (Graphic fiction. 6-10)
Pub Date: Nov. 19, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-934706-44-2
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Blue Apple
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2009
There are more than 150 kinds of ducks, divided into two types: diving ducks and dabbling ducks. Gibbons briefly describes and illustrates both kinds, then presents the lifecycle of the familiar mallard dabbling duck in greater detail. She explains the different ways of migration, the return to build nests, lay and incubate eggs, and hatch ducklings, which then grow to repeat the cycle. The last section discusses domesticated ducks and makes a case for protecting those in the wild. Gibbons provides detailed watercolors on every page with handsome portraits of many different ducks, labeled for identification of parts as well as types. The main text is placed on white space at the bottom, leaving room for the lovely drawings. While each picture does not fill the page, Gibbons's trademark pieces break through the borders and extend the scenes. One quibble: the duckling emerging from the egg appears to be fluffy and dry, while in reality a newly emerged duckling is slippery wet. A final page concludes with additional interesting facts about ducks. Young readers will enjoy this appealing introduction to the familiar waterfowl by the prolific science writer who has provided so many outstanding science titles. (Nonfiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: March 15, 2001
ISBN: 0-8234-1567-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2001
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