Striking pictures make this patriotic alphabet particularly memorable. Pairing illustrations painted on weathered-looking tavern signs to brief commentary, Minor celebrates major figures and incidents of the American Revolution from the Stamp Act (“A is for ACTS”) to Betsy and Ebenezer Zane, who were involved in the war’s last battle. The overall arrangement is not chronological, but a certain coherence emerges, as the Boston Massacre and Common Sense come early on, followed by Franklin and Jefferson, Old North Church and Paul Revere, Washington and Yorktown—with nods to Molly Pitcher and Native Americans along the way. Ranging from crudely drawn emblems to heroic portraits and battle scenes, the art is scratched and cracked to look as if it had hung outside various public houses for a few seasons; though the artifice may call attention to itself for adults, children will linger over the strong images, finding them both easily recognizable and evocative of the era. (bibliography, timeline) (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-399-24003-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2006
Gibbons follows up Behold . . . the Dragons! (1999) with this look at another class of creatures that “live around the edges of our imagination and in our legends.” Probably spun free-form from travelers’ tales of rhinos, oryxes, and similar exotic beasts, unicorns have been described and depicted in a wide variety of forms, from the romantically magnificent near-horse to legendary Risharinga, the otherwise-human horned son of a Hindu priest. Gibbons illustrates her characteristically terse text with a portrait gallery, done in typically simple style, and adds reproductions of the seven famed Unicorn Tapestries for a discussion of the unicorn as symbol. After recounting legends from India, China, the Middle East, and Europe, and noting that the Biblical “unicorn” was a mistranslation from the Hebrew, she finishes with a page of sundry historical notes dubbed “Unicorn Footprints.” Children who enjoy skating the edges of their own imaginations but aren’t quite ready to tackle Giblin’s The Truth About Unicorns (1991) will pore over this primer. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-688-17955-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2001
Geography and economics come together in Howard’s (William’s House, 2001, etc.) multicultural story of a young woman from Bangladesh. Sufiya is desperately poor—she begs rice from her neighbors each day and sleeps on the floor of her brother’s house. But when she takes the advice of a villager and attends a bank meeting, she sees her chance to change things. Sufiya and four friends learn how to get a loan, start a business, and support each other. The five decide on their businesses—selling bangles, milk, soap, snacks, and saris—and then must learn to write their names from Rokeya, the only one of the five who can write. Finally, all the women must be able to recite the rules of the bank, which emphasize saving, investing, health, education, and cooperation. During their meeting with the bank manager, they are given their loans and learn about interest rates and the terms of the repayment. Each of the women finds that the bank rules help them invest and save wisely. They are able to improve their lives, expand their businesses, and repay their loans. Sufiya’s story is followed by a question-and-answer section that identifies the story’s setting, gives more detail about the food and money featured in the book, shows readers how both the bank and Sufiya can profit from this arrangement, and presents information about the actual Grameen Bank and its founder. While the story of Sufiya and her four friends may be a bit too optimistic about the ease of changing poverty, it does present readers with solid information about the way loans work. Lively watercolors wonderfully depict the village Sufiya lives in. Vibrant-colored saris clothe the women, woven mats cover the floors of the simple grass huts, and the marketplace is filled with people, animals, stalls, and wares for sale. A good addition to an elementary economics curriculum. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-7613-1902-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Millbrook
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2002
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