A welcome addition to the First Americans Books series by seasoned collaborators (The Sioux, 1993, etc.). Beginning with a creation myth, Sneve describes the everyday life of the Hopi Indians of Arizona, from the mid-13th century, when the peaceful farmers began moving to the mesas to avoid warring neighbors, through the coming of the Spaniards in 1540, the onset of white settlements, the era of the reservations in the 1840s, and up to the present. The discussion falls naturally into two- to three-page sections devoted to the activities of men, women, and children, as well as to crops, crafts, beliefs, and ceremonies; these are interspersed with brief quotes from Hopi elders, literature, poems, and songs. Himler's majestic full-color paintings, fluidly span history and bring immediacy to the text. Maps of the Hopi region and an index round out this lively, accessible work. (Picture book/nonfiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1995
ISBN: 0-8234-1194-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1995
Stagestruck Annie sees an opportunity for breaking into show biz almost everywhere she looks—even in the dairy section of the supermarket that her third-grade class visits on a field trip- -which is why she ends up dropping yogurt on the floor. Still, from her point of view, slapping her tormentor, Matthew, with a dead fish is an involuntary act. But her teacher, who doesn't see it that way, abruptly ends the class trip and gives Annie a good talking-to on the way back. Since she's in disgrace, Annie gets the part no one wants in the class play on nutrition—an artichoke. In the event, she's a pretty good one, and also levelheaded enough to save the show when Matthew forgets his lines. Then, true to form, she topples into her classmates, causing an avalanche of ``foods.'' Annie's narration has an engagingly light, deadpan humor. Good fun. (Fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: Oct. 6, 1992
ISBN: 0-671-75910-8
Page Count: 53
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1992
Harry, an extraterrestrial disguised as a talking cat, invites himself home with Sara Jane (``Chicken''), who does her best to keep him hidden since her mother hates cats. But Harry's insatiable appetite makes it hard to keep him secret; once he's discovered, Chicken gets to keep him after all: Trying to explain that he's an alien, she inadvertently convinces her parents that she's desperately lonely and needs a pet. Heap's frequent illustrations, sketched with an agile and vigorous pen, enliven the format, but—given the subject matter- -this is remarkably pedestrian; one can't help wishing for a zany raconteur like Daniel Pinkwater. A sequel to follow. (Fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: May 1, 1992
ISBN: 1-56402-012-6
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1992
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