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7,000 | 6 | PreSchool-- In this witty little game of hide and seek, Billy thinks he has lost his beetle. In each double-page spread, readers see the creature walking on the boy's pant leg, along his shoulder, or some other less-than-easy-to-spot place. Like Chicken Little, Billy acquires an entourage of helpers who join in the search with equally poor results. Finally the hedgehog finds the beetle, but by this time Billy has quietly disappeared with a furry caterpillar, and the hunt resumes with a new focus. Delicately drawn figures in pale colors appear against a white background, with only a bit of shading under the feet. The last page unfolds to give a panoramic view of all the characters. Evocative language will have readers and listeners eager to help the story with their own sounds (``sniffy dog,'' ``oompah band,'' and even an ``untrumpetable'' elephant). A merry little tale best shared with just a few children at a time. --Ruth Semrau, Lovejoy School, Allen, TXCopyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.In a cleverly elaborated story with a cumulative element, Billy looks for the beetle that's escaped from his matchbox. All overeager to help is a group that becomes ever more preposterous- -with the addition of a dog on a very long leash, a hedgehog, a polar bear, an elephant, and even a brass band. True to his nature, it's the hedgehog that eventually spots the beetle--but by that time Billy himself is missing. The simple, deftly drawn illustrations convey much of the delightful humor here. There's a final twist involving a lost caterpillar, and a gatefold that expands to dramatize the satisfying conclusion. Small readers will also enjoy the fact that they can find the beetle on every page, crawling unseen from one character to another. Truly childlike and unusually entertaining. (Picture book. 3-7) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.; Title: Billy's Beetle | [
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7,001 | 1 | PreSchool-Grade 2When a cow decides to take her usual Saturday constitutional, she accidentally steps through a clothesline and ends up with a pair of bloomers covering her head. Unable to see and running off in a panic, the poor bovine wreaks havoc as she falls into a postmans cart that heads down a long hill, followed by all the characters whose lives shes disrupted: the underwears owner, the postman, some children, and a few yapping dogs. The chaos reaches a spectacularly hilarious conclusion when she crashes (literally) a wedding and flies off the end of a dock, landing in a passing boat, and the underwear blows back into its owners hands. The cow calmly steps ashore and goes about her usual business. The story is told with a dry wit and an economy of words, and the illustrations interpret the action with panache. Denton uses the spreads to distinct advantage as his bovine heroine careens and caroms from one potential disaster to the next. The cartoon illustrations bounce with energy and are suffused with warm colors. Udders and undies combine to make this funny read-aloud a sure hit.Marge Loch-Wouters, Menasha Public Library, WI Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.; Title: A Particular Cow | [
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7,002 | 5 | Coyote, a frequent star of Native American trickster tales, puts his imagination into overdrive to bring fire to a tribe in the Pacific Northwest. Such a feat should be easy for the super-confident Coyote-all he has to do is outwit the three awful ogres who tend fire on the mountaintop. With a little help from his animal friends (including an Olympics-worthy relay effort), Coyote saves the day. Goldin's (The Passover Journey; Cakes and Miracles) fresh interpretation of Coyote as a pompous but respected do-gooder gives her well-paced tale added dimension. Her underlying themes in praise of cooperation and kindness are also welcome. From mat lodges to fishing spears to tanned-hide clothing, Hillenbrand's (Traveling to Tondo) warm and textured oil and oil pastel art offers a thoughtfully researched portrait of Pacific Northwest Indians. In addition, his renderings of jocund animals and gruesome yet goofy evil spirits lend a quirky lighthearted air to the proceedings. Ages 4-8. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.Grade 2-6?In Native traditions of the Pacific Northwest, as elsewhere, Coyote's tricky nature makes him both a helpful hero and a boastful egotist. In this tale, the People are cold and hungry, so they ask Coyote to steal Fire, burning on a snowy mountaintop guarded by three evil spirits. Stealing a plan from his sisters, he executes it with determination and verve. When the stolen firebrand is swallowed by a tree, the evil spirits are sure no one will be able to retrieve it. But Coyote rubs dry sticks of wood together "until sparks came." Readers leave him basking in praise. It is the characterization of Coyote, understated but unmistakable, that raises this tale above the common pourquoi. Sparks in this book fly from the pictures as well as from the words. Hillenbrand's proto-Oregonians actually look like themselves, and not like Hollywood Indians. Their artifacts, clothes, and homes are unassumingly authentic (not a totem pole in sight). The layout is often dramatic, and the evil spirits are green and clunky, with red eyes and troll faces. Best of all is Coyote, a foxy red cousin of Wile E. himself, whose foolish vanity is conveyed by his swollen chest, but whose exuberant joy in life radiates from his splayed limbs and perky tail. Few readers will fail to recognize a bit of this animal in themselves.?Patricia (Dooley) Lothrop Green, St. George's School, Newport, RICopyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Coyote and the Fire Stick: A Pacific Northwest Indian Tale | [
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7,003 | 1 | What if you were a baby bat, and one fateful day you slipped from your mother's grasp and fell smack-dab into a bird's nest? This happens to little Stellaluna, and her world is literally turned upside down. This adorable, 5-inch-tall, high-quality plush bat, based on Janell Cannon's award-winning Stellaluna, can hang upside down off of your finger if you Velcro her feet together. You can also make her flap around freely with her exquisitely crafted wings that boast a 14-inch wingspan. If she's tired after a long day of playing, she can even fold her wings around herself! (Velcro dots keep the wings closed.) Big, brown, soulful eyes and tiny, white, behind-the-ear tufts make this little Stellaluna completely irresistible. (All ages)What if you were a baby bat, and one fateful day you slipped from your mother's grasp and fell smack-dab into a bird's nest? This happens to little Stellaluna, and her world is literally turned upside down. This adorable, 5-inch-tall, high-quality plush bat, based on Janell Cannon's award-winning Stellaluna, can hang upside down off of your finger if you Velcro her feet together. You can also make her flap around freely with her exquisitely crafted wings that boast a 14-inch wingspan. If she's tired after a long day of playing, she can even fold her wings around herself! (Velcro dots keep the wings closed.) Big, brown, soulful eyes and tiny, white, behind-the-ear tufts make this little Stellaluna completely irresistible. (All ages) (Amazon.com Review); Title: Stellaluna Plush Bat | [
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7,004 | 20 | Goldin (The Girl Who Lived with Bears) combines Jewish folklore and world history in this fascinating look at the prophet Elijah. Tradition has it that Elijah can reappear on earth to anyone at anytime in any place as a symbol of peace and justice, in the guise of a scruffy beggar on the street or a stranger at the doorAand those who turn him away pay a price. At Passover, Jews traditionally set a place of honor for Elijah at the table and leave the door open to him. The overriding hope is that those on the lookout for the disguised prophet will be kind and generous to all people. Goldin imbues her well-paced tales with an irresistible sense of mystery and wonder. A brief introduction to each story, containing facts about how Jews settled in various countries, provides the context. In "Seven Good Years," Elijah appears to a Jewish farmer in Argentina and rewards him with prosperity; in "A Journey with Elijah," a rabbi travels from town to town with the prophet and gains some insight into whom God chooses as recipients of His blessings. An author's note and a historical section further illuminate Goldin's research and inspiration. Pinkney's masterfully composed watercolor-pastel-and-pencil paintings have rarely looked better. He brings careful detail to dramatic scenes set in such diverse eras and cultures as 19th-century Europe and 17th-century ChinaAand his interpretation of Paradise as a lush and fragrant-looking garden is especially noteworthy. All ages. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.Kindergarten-Grade 6In this collection of tales, the prophet Elijah travels the earth working miracles, visiting Jews in the traditional European and Middle Eastern settings of Jewish folktales to lesser-known Jewish communities in China and South America. Each story is prefaced by a brief explanation of time and place. Goldins writing is smooth and her metaphors are clear. Pinkneys vivid watercolor illustrations bring the tales to life. His paintings, done in colored pencil, pastel, and watercolor, beautifully depict the varied settings from a cool Persian night to a lush tropical garden. At least one single-page picture complements each selection; most include a two-page spread as well. The author provides fresh perspective on this beloved prophet, and only one of these tales appears in Nina Jaffes The Mysterious Visitor (Scholastic, 1997). With dynamic artwork and a rare glimpse of Jewish life around the world, Journeys with Elijah makes a fine addition to folklore collections.Martha Link, Louisville Free Public Library, KY Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Journeys with Elijah: Eight Tales of the Prophet | [
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7,005 | 2 | "The Earth and I are friends," begins this sentimental picture book in which a boy inventories the many ways he and the planet benefit and enjoy each other. Examples both obvious ("I help her to grow. She helps me to grow" accompanies pictures of the boy tilling soil, then eating food) and inspired ("I dance for her. She dances for me" is paired with the boy raking leaves, then the leaves being blown about by a gust of wind) give way to the book's ultimate "green" message: "When she's sad, I'm sad" captions a view of a scrap heap. The simple text is consistent with Asch's repertoire of very young picture books (Happy Birthday, Moon; Bear Shadow), but it lacks the humor that have made the others preschool classics. He paints a dreamscape of liquidy watercolors, with blues, purples, greens and reds bleeding together in a wash of rainbows that cover both the boy and the earth: hair, clothes, leaves, clouds are each multicolored. Jaded adults may have to stifle a laugh at the final, feel-good illustration, which features the narrator hugging a tree. Ages 3-7. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.PreSchool-Grade 1-A simple story in which a boy describes his interactions with his special "friend," the Earth. ("I tell her what's on my mind. She listens to every word.") Asch's paintings show the child in close harmony with nature as he rides the back of a tortoise, plants vegetables, sings with the birds, and dances in the wind. Pollution mars their play towards the end ("When she's sad, I'm sad"), but he cleans up the garbage, plants a new flower, and hugs a tree on the final page. Despite the rainbow tones woven into each illustration, the muted pictures are blandly drawn and have little personality. They are in keeping with the universality of the author's message, but make for a rather unexciting picture book. The basic ecological theme is delivered in a straightforward manner; the book could be used to introduce nature units and is well suited to beginning readers. Nancy Carlstrom's Northern Lullaby (Philomel, 1992), Doug Florian's Nature Walk (1989), and Charlotte Zolotow's Say It! (1980, both Greenwillow) address the subject with more charm and imagination, but The Earth and I will reach even younger audiences.Steven Engelfried, West Lynn Library, ORCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: The Earth and I | [
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7,006 | 13 | Having danced the part of Swanilda herself, the late dancer Fonteyn knew this 19th-century ballet from the inside out. With careful pacing, she recounts the tale of a mysterious dollmaker whose finest creation, a life-size doll named Copp?lia, comes between a young woman and her betrothed. Upon Swanilda's first appearance, as she happily thinks of her fianc?, Franz ("she could barely keep herself from dancing instead of walking"), Fonteyn foreshadows the fateful dance, in which Swanilda, rejected by Franz in favor of Copp?lia, cleverly exposes the illusion and wins back her sweetheart. In an astonishing visual pas de deux, Johnson and Fancher's mixed media artwork gives the pages a rich patina that recalls antique tapestry. Blocks of text are framed in a quilt-like background of fabric scraps that hints at the busy creativity of a dollmaker's studio. The artists carry this theme throughout the book by incorporating brocade and burlap into the illustrations themselves, adding texture and depth alongside bold brushstrokes and scrapework used in applying the oil paint. The European setting, with its half-timbered houses and cobbled streets, is dressed in rich autumnal hues, and an artful use of light and shadow brings a theatrical flair. Balletomanes will appreciate Fonteyn's afterword on the history of Copp?lia, along with the artists' homage to a famous Degas painting with Swanilda, dressed as the doll, dancing about and wreaking havoc. Ages 6-up. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.Kindergarten-Grade 5-Who better to tell the story of Coppelia than a "prima ballerina assoluta?" Having danced the starring role many times, Fonteyn has developed a wonderful feel for the characters' personalities. The clever and passionate Swanilda contrasts well with the villain, Dr. Coppelius, the dollmaker who tries to bring his masterpiece to life. His conflicting nature is delightfully portrayed: he is lonely and deserving of sympathy, yet deceitful and wicked in trying to gain his ends; he is comical and a source of amusement to the village, but also the genius creator in love with his creation. Historical notes at the end of the book are brief but highly interesting. The lovely paintings are full of depth and texture enhanced with pieces of richly patterned fabric. There is a golden and sepia tone to them, suggestive of candlelight and late sun. This play of light and shadow effectively gives an illusion of life and movement. It seems the characters really dance about their daily lives, and when they are still, they find their feet naturally falling into classical positions. Pleasingly balanced, the layout consistently poses one white page of text bordered in color against a colorful picture. Purchase Coppelia for your more sophisticated fairy-tale audience or pair it with Leontyne Price's version of Aida (Gulliver, 1990), illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon, for a gorgeous unit on music and theater.Torrie Hodgson, Burlington Public Library, WACopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Coppelia | [
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7,007 | 13 | Grade 6 Up-Judging from the popularity of television talk shows and supermarket tabloids, Americans love gossip. As the title suggests, this collection of anecdotes about 15 famous artists of European heritage (and Hokusai) is gossipy. Tidbits flood the brief biographies: Leonardo's and Michelangelo's homosexuality, Van Gogh's "ear episode," Bruegel's fondness for practical jokes, Cassatt's support of women's suffrage, etc. These morsels are integrated into chapters with an easy-flowing sequence of short paragraphs, and supplemented with an "Artworks" section that adds a few pithy comments about several specific pieces, such as O'Keeffe's bone paintings or Kollowitz's large granite memorial for her son Peter. Hewitt supplies a full-page watercolor and colored-pencil portrait and vignette for each artist. These are friendly representations that also include personal objects like Matisse's fiddle, Chagall's village, Duchamp's snow shovel, etc. They add pleasant visual attractions to the lighthearted approach in this inviting introduction to a few of the Big Names in our artworld. A page of artistic terms is also included.Kenneth Marantz, Art Education Department, Ohio State University, ColumbusCopyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.Gr. 4^-6. From the eclectic series that began with Lives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times (and What the Neighbors Thought) (1993) comes a volume devoted to visual artists. The subject seems well suited to Krull's format: informative short biographies that focus on the subjects' personal lives and eccentricities rather than chronologies of their masterpieces. A few notes on major artworks follow each biography. Among the 19 artists discussed are Leonardo, Bruegel, Cassatt, Van Gogh, Picasso, O'Keefe, Dali, Noguchi, Rivera, Kahlo, and Warhol. Each chapter begins with one of Hewitt's distinctive portrait paintings, handsome caricatures of the artists and a few significant or distinctive objects indicating their interests and individual traits. A lively, entertaining presentation. Carolyn Phelan; Title: Lives of the Artists: Masterpieces, Messes (and What the Neighbors Thought) | [
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7,008 | 0 | Grade 7-10?Once again Rinaldi has given readers a young woman's perceptions of what has too often been the all-male story of American history and politics. Paul Revere comes to life through the eyes and voice of Sarah, his 13-year-old daughter. Through the girl's observations, her father emerges as a family man, a caring friend, and a loyal patriot. Dr. Joseph Warren, an often forgotten hero of the Revolution, is warmly portrayed, as is Rachel, Revere's second wife. As Sarah comes of age against the strife of the times, she weaves critical events of American history into the everyday details of her family's life, making the characters convincing as real people. She is interested in clothing, food, and her older sister's romantic liaison, and has her own reverential crush on the handsome Dr. Warren. Because her father's activities take their toll on the family, she is also keenly aware of political and military events and secrets. Her analyses of them are painful but beautifully crafted, giving readers a sense of and a sensitivity to this period of history. The brief bibliography offers evidence of Rinaldi's scholarship, and her note discusses the process whereby she validates available historical facts but goes beyond them to interpret and draw her own conclusions in composing historical fiction.?Kay E. Vandergrift, School of Communication, Information and Library Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJCopyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.Gr. 7-10. When a man comes to interview her father, Paul Revere, Sarah recalls the eventful past two years. Historically significant goings-on, such as the Boston Tea Party and her father's famous rides, intertwine with the personal, including Sarah's wondering whether her father's new wife is betraying him with another patriot. Sarah's growth into womanhood complicates matters even further. Rinaldi's depiction of daily life in Boston rings true (readers may think twice before drinking tea), and, for the most part, her dialogue remains free of anachronistic expressions. Her technique of framing the story within Sarah's recollections creates some initial confusion, but the swift pace and credible characters combined with impeccable research make the novel an involving and informative venture into history. Susan Dove Lempke; Title: The Secret of Sarah Revere | [
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7,009 | 0 | This powerful allegory portrays the dire reactions of a "pride of magnificent peacocks" and a "flock of elegant swans" who cannot see beyond their differences. Upon noticing that the swans can fly and swim, the proud but insecure peacocks are infected by a blind fear that incites a build-up of arms: "a great quantity of feathers which they sharpened into arrows." The swans respond in like manner, and the two species hurl toward mutual destruction. However, "the bloodstained stillness" is redeemed when two chance hatchlings emerge; their celebration of what they hold in common augurs a peaceful coexistence. Fox's (Time for Bed) analogies strike familiar poses of human aggression and nuclear holocaust. While the text's pointed poetry will sink directly into children's hearts, debut illustrator Wilton's symbolically sophisticated, lushly colored acrylic paintings may be too static for younger readers; their mysteries, however, offer sensitive viewers possibilities for contemplation and discovery. Ages 5-8. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.Grade 1-4?An antiwar allegory. A pride of peacocks notices that a flock of nearby swans can both swim and fly, feats they themselves cannot do. They wonder if the swans will use their strength aggressively. Soon they convince themselves that they are in danger, and begin stockpiling arms?only to be used defensively, of course. The swans then gather their own weapons. Fear and tension increase until the war both groups have been preparing for breaks out, triggered by a nervous mistake. "Soon cries filled the air and blood darkened the earth." Two eggs survive, two chicks hatch, a swan and a peacock. They recognize one another as fellow birds, more alike than different, and stumble away to share the world. This allegory is alive with symbolic references and ideas. The pictures, however, are what lift the story out of the ordinary. Wilton's full-page acrylic paintings on the right are framed with primitive borders laid against a second border of solid black. The left-hand page displays brief text set on a background of geometric and natural forms in symbolic shapes (roses and thorns, snakes and fish) in colors that are shaded with darkness but nonetheless vivid. This tale will be an easy step-off to discussion of the late arms-race, perhaps helping to clarify thoughts, even to changing opinions. Fox clearly implies that war is the result of stupidity and unreasonable fear.?Ruth Semrau, formerly at Lovejoy School, Allen, TXCopyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Feathers and Fools | [
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7,010 | 0 | PreS?Grinning reptilian parents take their offspring to River Bottom School for a day of happy play. The book's emphasis is on upbeat separations?no tears or quivering chins here. In addition to the standard, "See you later, alligator," the grown-ups say "In a blizzard, little lizard" and "In a shake, garter snake." The young animals play with a variety of toys until it is time for their parents to pick them up. Once again rhymed phrases take over, such as "Time to scoot, warty newt." These jingles and cavorting toads and salamanders are calculated to help youngsters forget their reluctance to leave their parents. Missing, though, is a look at stimulating nursery school days. The bare classroom contains little to convince readers that school will be fun. The book, with its stiff card pages and cartoonstyle illustrations, offers amusing alternatives to "hello" and "goodbye." That aside, children will be better prepared by Harlow Rockwell's My Nursery School (1984) or Janet Ahlberg's Starting School (1990, both Puffin).?Nancy Seiner, The Carnegie Library of PittsburghCopyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.Ages 2^-5. As a new school day begins, a little alligator bids his mother good-bye, saying, "See you later, alligator!" Continuing this use of silly sayings, the amphibian and reptile classmates converse, using both familiar and original chants, such as "No way, Jose" and "Okeydokey, Artichokey." Young children will "read" the action-packed, cartoonlike pictures that humorously depict this typical school day, as they delight in the fun-filled use of language. Although the story line is slight, the book will tickle the funny bones of young listeners. April Judge; Title: See You Later, Alligator! | [
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7,011 | 2 | This beautifully illustrated and highly recommended book is widely used in primary schools in the U.S. to convince children of the importance of rain-forest conservation. Lynne Cherry visited the Amazon rain forest to gather drawings for the book, and the simple story and vivid illustrations capture the reality and lushness of the forest in a way she could not have by working from mere photographs.In this breathtakingly beautiful picture book, Cherry combines illustrations that reveal a naturalist's reverence for beauty with a mythlike story that explains the ecological importance of saving the rain forests. The text is not a didactic treatise, but a simply told story about a man who falls asleep while chopping down a kapok tree. The forest's inhabitants--snakes, butterflies, a jaguar, and finally a child--each whisper in his ear about the terrible consequences of living in "a world without trees" or beauty, about the interconnectedness of all living things. When the man awakens and sees all the extraordinary creatures around him, he leaves his ax and "walks out of the rain forest." A map showing the earth's endangered forests and the creatures that dwell within ends the book which, like the rain forests themselves, is "wondrous and rare." Ages 4-8. Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest | [
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7,012 | 0 | ANN RINALDI is an award-winning author best known for bringing history vividly to life. A self-made writer and newspaper columnist for twenty-one years, Ms. Rinaldi attributes her interest in history to her son, who enlisted her to take part in historical reenactments up and down the East Coast. She lives with her husband in central New Jersey. Visit her online at www.annrinaldi.com.; Title: A Break with Charity: A Story about the Salem Witch Trials | [
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7,013 | 13 | "Winsome and warmhearted, these books could become instant favorites.”—Publishers Weekly "These winning stories are enriched by energetic, humorous illustrations.”—Boston Globe "If you have a young reader at your house who has yet to meet Mr. Putter and Tabby, you will not regret a visit to the nearest library or bookstore to check out this delightful series.”—Home Education Magazine "Once again, this duet has hit all the right notes.”—School Library Journal Cynthia Rylant is a Newbery medalist and the author of many acclaimed books for young people. She's well known for her popular characters for early readers, including Mr. Putter & Tabby and Henry & Mudge. She lives in the Pacific Northwest. www.cynthiarylant.com.    ; Title: Mr. Putter & Tabby Toot the Horn | [
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7,014 | 1 | Pre-Grade 1-- A ginger-colored kitten asks various animals if they have any babies in this seemingly simple concept book. A brown cow has one calf, a black sheep has two lambs, a yellow goat has three kids, etc. ; the kitten greets each animal by its trademark moo or baa or bleat. The large print is repetitive and easy to read. Gleaming watercolors completely fill each doubled-paged spread, giving such a lush feel to the book that its sheer attractiveness may captivate readers before its weaknesses become apparent. The blurred, impressionistic outlines of the animals and their mottled coloration make it far more challenging for fledgling counters than the similar, yet more successful, Brown Bear , Brown Bear (Holt, 1992) by Bill Martin, Jr . Nonetheless, Bonner's artwork is very appealing. --Anna DeWind, Milwaukee Public LibraryCopyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.``Baa baa, black sheep, have you any lambs? Yes kitty, yes kitty, two woolly lambs.'' From one brown cow to ten rainbow trout fry, Wood rehearses numbers, colors, and animals' names and voices in a repetitive text that will help young listeners learn, though it is not particularly imaginative. In the double spread illustrations, on the other hand, Bonner takes some unusual risks: the colors of his animals are strikingly close to their background--e.g., the orange hen and her yellow chicks are superimposed on a pale orange that might be derived by mixing the two. The result is arrestingly monochromatic compositions in which the animals are still recognizable and pleasingly lively. The appealing kitten who asks the questions ties it all together. Nice. (Picture book. 1-6) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.; Title: Moo Moo, Brown Cow | [
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7,015 | 0 | Grade 4-6. In this quiet, evocative voyage through time, an Egyptian mummy looks back on her life. In her own time, Heb-Nefert was the wife of the pharaoh's brother, with servants who dressed her and a loving husband with whom she explored the royal gardens and hunted birds on the Nile. She recalls visiting her humble childhood home where women baked bread outdoors and a snake was coiled in a basket to catch rats and mice. When she died, her body was anointed with oils and spices, and bandaged to begin the process of mummification. Her loyal cat was mummified, too, so it could follow her into the afterlife. Finally, she looks down on her shriveled body where it lies in a museum and observes the daily stream of visitors that pass by, rarely thinking that a similar fate awaits them. Bunting uses a poetic, lyrical voice to transport readers beyond the withered mummified remains they see and into Heb-Nefert's ancient world. The atmospheric watercolors pick up both the sunlight on Egyptian sands and the dark shadows of sealed tombs.?Cathryn A. Camper, Minneapolis Public LibraryCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.Gr. 3^-6. In a picture book for older readers that is both lyrical and melancholy, a female mummy remembers the days when she danced for the pharaoh's brother and became his wife. She recalls the work of her handmaidens, who shaved her head and painted her with yellow dye. Atop her flaxen wig "a cone of scented fat / melted to liquid in the summer warmth / and smelled of flowers. I was so beautiful. / But these things pass." The young woman, who "rose above [herself] and watched" after her death, describes how her body was prepared and tells about her funeral. Eventually she is put into a glass coffin in a museum, where foolish people stare, not understanding that "three thousand years from now they will be dust and bones." Christiana's watercolor pictures superbly capture the contrast between the breathtaking beauty of the young woman and her surroundings and the frighteningly wizened mummy. A good deal of information about ancient Egypt is conveyed through the story, and Bunting and Christiana also do justice to the profoundly mysterious subject of mummies and the enigma of what awaits us after death. Susan Dove Lempke; Title: I Am the Mummy Heb-Nefert | [
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7,016 | 2 | In this pop-up bedtime tale, Kipper, a floppy-earred dog, searches for his teddy bear in every nook and cranny that he finds. He looks in holes and under blankets; he asks mice, piglets and even the "pinky purple Bleeper People living on the moon" about his teddy's whereabouts. Fortunately for youngsters, Kipper's lack of success means pages of pull-tabs and flaps. The rhyming text is more often a miss than a hit ("This hole in the ground/ with a mound is a mole's!/ But this little home/ (without) is a vole's!") but Inkpen's open white spaces and endearing characters lend a peaceful, childlike charm to this friendly bear hunt, which ends with a neat surprise. Even though Kipper retires to bed empty-handed, readers will locate the teddy right under Kipper's toes (under a lift-the-flap blanket, at the foot of his bed), holding a flashlight that, when the flap is lifted, really does light up. Ages 2-5. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.MICK INKPEN's books starring Kipper have sold millions of copies worldwide and have been translated into more than twenty languages. His more recent titles include Kipper's A to Z, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year and an ABA's Pick of the Lists, and Kipper and Roly. Mr. Inkpen lives in Suffolk, England.; Title: Where, Oh Where, Is Kipper's Bear?: A Pop-Up Book with Light! | [
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7,017 | 1 | The musings of a Texas armadillo who wonders "Where in the world am I?" are the springboard for a journey and geography lesson that are wide-ranging indeed. Sasparillo climbs a tower in San Antonio, then sets out to explore the variegated terrain--canyons, woodlands, prairies, plains--of his native state. His curiosity unslaked, he then hops aboard a willing eagle's back for a true bird's-eye view. The armadillo and eagle eventually hitch a ride on the space shuttle, allowing them to contemplate the vastness of the universe--and pushing this flight of fancy rather too far. The rhyming text is merely workmanlike, but Cherry's peripatetic armadillo, bright-eyed and with a knapsack hung over his shoulder, makes a jaunty, appealing adventurer, and her meticulous lines and wide-ranging palette do full justice to the country through which he roams. The sheer beauty of her field of bluebells and her stark rock formations, to name just two scenes, speaks eloquently to the need to cherish and protect our earth. Sprinkled throughout are postcards from Sasparillo to a cousin in the Philadelphia Zoo. One quibble: the concluding author's note is unnecessarily long and belabored ("Some of the things that Sasparillo experiences could not happen to a real armadillo"). Ages 5-9. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.Kindergarten-Grade 3-Spectacular watercolor and oil-pastel renditions of Texas scenes combine with the rhymed-verse explorations of a curious armadillo to form an excellent map-skills book for beginners. Sasparillo Armadillo decides to explore his native state, and travels from San Antonio to Amarillo. He's still not sure where in the world he is, so he catches a ride on the back of a golden eagle and eventually boards the space shuttle for an even larger perspective. Cherry's love for the environment, shown in The Great Kapok Tree (1990) and A River Ran Wild (1992, both Harcourt), is evident in this book as well. Fields of bluebonnets and Indian paintbrushes sprawl across borderless, two-page spreads, giving credence to the grandeur of the countryside. Indigenous plants, animals (some endangered), and unique geographical formations are introduced via inset postcards that Sasparillo sends to his cousin Brillo in Philadelphia. An author's note is packed with more cultural, historical, and scientific information, disclaiming some of the fantasy elements but assuring readers that "the geographical information in the text is accurate." An ecological jewel that sparkles with multifaceted spin-off possibilities. Claudia Cooper, Ft. Stockton Independent School District, TXCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: The Armadillo from Amarillo | [
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7,018 | 13 | This retelling of one of Verdi's most popular works suffers from the primary problem inherent in retelling any opera. Operas are composed, first and foremost, as musical works, and character motivation tends to be expressed in the music. While Price has faithfully outlined the opera's plot--the Ethiopian princess Aida's love for the Egyptian warrior Radames; the jealousy of Amneris, the Pharaoh's daughter; Radames's ultimate execution; and Aida's sacrifice--she does not provide a plausible rationale for their actions and, in the absence of Verdi's music, the story comes across as thin. Considered individually, the Dillons' paintings make dramatic tableaux, and taken together they form a stunning, unified whole. The art focuses on overall action, not individuals, and goes a very long way to illuminating the motivations lacking in Price's text. Even with minor reservations, this A ida is lavishly packaged and strikingly designed. All ages. Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.Grade 4 Up-- A straightforward, sympathetic retelling of the story of the beautiful and noble Ethiopian Princess, Aida, who, while enslaved in Egypt, is caught between her devotion to her father and her country and her love for Radames, young captain of the enemy army. The Dillons' dramatic, decorative style with their sumptuous use of color is perfectly suited to the opera's moving and tragic story. The book is elegant in its design. Full-page dramatic paintings opposite each page of text are supplemented by smaller pictures set in a strip above the text where profiled characters in the style of ancient Egyptian art repeat the story line. Gorgeous endpapers and border designs in gold carry out the Egyptian theme and add to the richness and vibrancy of the book. All that is missing is Verdi's wonderful music. Aida is particularly welcome as there have been few opera-story picture books of note. John Updike's excellent retelling of Wagner's The Ring (Knopf, 1964), Stephen Spender's The Magic Flute (Putnam, 1966), and Doris Orgel's Lohengrin (Putnam, 1966) are all long out of print. --Ann Stell, The Smithtown Library, NYCopyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: AIDA | [
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7,019 | 2 | Kindergarten-Grade 2-- Another tender, good-humored encounter between young and old from the author of Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge (Kane/Miller, 1985). As old Lily Laceby dozes peacefully in her armchair, her barrel-shaped dog, Butch Aggie, pricks an ear at the quiet click of car doors outside, cocks her head to the crunch of feet on the garden path, bristles at the mutter of voices, rumbles at the rattle of the doorknob, and finally breaks into barking when fists pound on the door. Lily wakes with a start, gets up and lets in--a horde of family and friends wishing her a "Happy Birthday!" "Are you really ninety?" whispers Emily, her great-great-granddaughter. "Inside I'm only four-and-a-half, like you," Lily answers, "but don't tell anyone." Fox builds up treamy scenes from Lily's life parade past in a wordless series of side panels. Emily looks older than four and a half, but that's a minor bobble in this happy collaboration. --John Peters, New York Public LibraryCopyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.MEM FOX is the author of many acclaimed books, including Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes, Possum Magic, Koala Lou, Time for Bed, and, for adults, Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever. She lives in Adelaide, Australia.; Title: Night Noises | [
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7,020 | 1 | PW noted the "elaborate acrylic designs, variety of lush hues and sly wit" in this hide-and-seek adventure with a crafty reptile. Ages 3-8. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Hide and Snake (Rise and Shine) | [
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7,021 | 1 | "Considered one of the most popular contemporary authors for readers in elementary school, (Dav Pilkey) is also regarded as a talented artist and inventive humorist as well as a subtle moralist. ...He underscores his works--even at their most outrageous--with a philosophy that emphasizes friendship, tolerance, and generosity and celebrates the triumph of the good-hearted." -The Educational Book & Media AssociationDav Pilkey is the Caldecott Honor Award-winning creator of more than 40 books for children.; Title: Big Dog and Little Dog: Big Dog and Little Dog Board Books | [
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7,022 | 0 | No Bio; Title: The Real Tooth Fairy | [
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7,023 | 0 | Beautifully designed and carefully researched, this conveys the dramatic true story of a woman who survived the massacre at the Alamo. Ages 4-8. Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.Best known for the Civil War trilogy, North and South, John Jakes also authored The Kent Family Chronicles.; Title: Susanna of the Alamo: A True Story | [
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7,024 | 2 | Set in 1947, Teammates concerns a little-known episode about Brooklyn Dodgers' second baseman Jackie Robinson and the integration of baseball. When Dodgers shortstop Pee Wee Reese, incensed by the abuse coming from a Cincinnati crowd, determined to "take a stand," he put an arm around his teammate's shoulder; this simple gesture symbolized the end of the "color line" in major league baseball--and the beginning of a great friendship. The book's appropriately ironic beginning talks of a time "when automobiles were black and looked like tanks and laundry was white and hung on clotheslines to dry." Golenbock then introduces the Negro Leagues, enumerates the many differences between them and the Major Leagues, and credits Dodger general manager Branch Rickey with finding "one special man" who would exemplify great ballplaying and thereby eradicate the prejudices of the fans. Golenbock's bold and lucid style distills this difficult issue, and brings a dramatic tale vividly to life. Bacon's spare, nostalgic watercolors, in addition to providing fond glimpses of baseball lore, present a haunting portrait of one man's isolation. Historic photographs of the major characters add interest and a touch of stark reality to an unusual story, beautifully rendered. Ages 6-9. Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.Kindergarten-Grade 6-- Golenbock has taken a single moment of baseball history, set it in its social context, and created a simple and moving tribute to courage and brotherhood. While other biographies of Robinson, and Robinson himself in I Never Had It Made (Putnam, 1972; o.p.), set the incident in Boston, Golenbock places it in Cincinnati, near Reese's Kentucky home. The event occurred during Jackie Robinson's first season with the Dodgers. Listening to the hatred that spilled out of the stands, Pee Wee Reese left his position at shortstop, walked over to Robinson at first base, put his around Robinson's shoulder, chatted for a few moments, and then returned to his position. The crowd was stunned into silence. Bacon has illustrated the book with an effective blend of photographs and drawings. Golenbock briefly but clearly describes the background of Robinson's entry into the National League, as well as Reese's background as a southerner and as the player with the most to fear if Robinson were successful--both men were shortstops (although Robinson would ultimately play second base). There have been several recent books about Robinson for young readers, such as David Adler's Jackie Robinson: He Was the First (Holiday, 1989) and Jim O'Connor's Jackie Robinson and the Story of All-Black Baseball (Random, 1989), but none of them have the style or dramatic impact of Golenbock and Bacon's work. This is a wonderful and important story, beautifully presented, but the geographic confusion is disturbing. --Elaine Fort Weischedel, Turner Free Library, Randolph, MACopyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Teammates | [
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7,025 | 14 | Just as actors are occasionally miscast, so too can authors and illustrators be mismatched by the powers that be in publishing: Fox's latest picture book is a classic example. Her bare-bones storyline, in which she poses and answers a series of questions about a witch named Daisy O'Grady, isn't the problem--although it is surprisingly pedestrian--rather, the blunder is with the choice of illustrator. In a book aimed at very young children, Goodman's surreal visions, at times reminiscent of Hieronymus Bosch, far too often overstep the bounds of good taste--and even stray into the Freudian, as in one instance where a dead fish dangles from a pair of panties hanging on a clothesline. The sophomoric humor (a jar is labeled "Porksnot & Co.--Mucus Pickle"), of the sort that delights readers of Mad magazine, will go right over the heads of the intended audience. They, unfortunately, will more likely focus on the book's nightmarish elements: insects crawling in the witch's bed, an owl with a dead mouse in his beak and the frightening visage of Daisy O'Grady herself. On all counts, this is a peculiar production. Ages 3-up. Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.Grade 2-4-- A picture book with off-center wit and style. The structure is simple,wit and style. The structure is simple, introduced on the first page with a flat statement: "Far away from here lives a crazy lady called Daisy O'Grady." This is followed by a series of questions ("Is she tall? Guess!") that are answered with a resounding "Yes!" when the page is turned. Each exchange builds a description of a woman who, it is increasingly obvious, is a witch. The last lines, however, are reassuring: "Some people say she's really mean. But guess what? She's NOT!" The text is paired with illustrations that add to the eerie atmosphere with a photographic surrealism. Framed sharply to face the text, which is in large print, the pictures become increasingly bizarre in their use of detail, commenting on the text as much as extending it. Gouache paintings portray a mildly engaging eccentric; the feeling of the illustration is darkly humorous while the words are sunnily simple and the structure is, at its root, reassuringly anticlimactic. The conflict is reflected in the final illustration: Daisy with an unidentified, fresh-faced young girl--a witch in training, perhaps? Fox bows off briskly, but Goodman trails away confusingly. The result is an entertaining picture book in which the visual style is too sophisticated for the text and the text too uncomplicated for the grotesque humor of the visual style. The whole, while interesting, is thus less than the sum of its parts. --Christine Behrmann, New York Public LibraryCopyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Guess What? | [
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7,026 | 11 | Andrea Davis Pinkney is the New York Times best-selling author of several books for young readers, including the novel Bird in a Box, a Today Show Al Roker Book Club for Kids pick, and Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America, winner of the Coretta Scott King Author Award. Additional works include the Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King Honor book Duke Ellington, illustrated by her husband, Brian Pinkney; and Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters, a Coretta Scott King Honor book and winner of the Carter G. Woodson Award. Andrea Davis Pinkney lives in New York City. ; Title: Pretty Brown Face | [
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7,027 | 0 | Grade 4-7-- A novel about a little-known event in American history--the great cannon trek of 1775. Colonel Henry Knox conceived a plan to take desperately needed cannons and ammunition from New York's Fort Ticonderoga to Boston where rebel forces feared that a British attack was imminent. The huge, ungainly guns had to be moved during the winter over hundreds of miles of mountainous wilderness. The bulk of this book re-creates that arduous journey to and from the fort. Despite its pedestrian title and uninspired cover art, this is a fast paced, well-told adventure story. Dialogue among the characters sounds authentic and never forced. Will Knox, the colonel's 19-year-old brother, goes along on the trek and provides a character with whom readers can readily identify. Satisfying historical fiction that deserves a place on library shelves for its clear telling of an important but obscure chapter in American history. --Bruce Anne Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NCCopyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Guns for General Washington: A Story of the American Revolution (Great Episodes Historical Fiction Series) | [
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7,028 | 13 | Winter sets a mythic backdrop for her picture book biography as she shows the lineage of the esteemed composer: "In the days of castles and kings,/ the birds listened/ when Vitus Bach played his cittern." While her profile of Georgia O'Keeffe in My Name Is Georgia was grounded in the details of the landscapes that so moved the artist, here Winter's distinctive narration eschews the anecdotal and informal, and therefore distances readers from the subject: "The music filled the church like thunder./ Angels listened." Winter's signature acrylic paintings, evocative of folk art, also take on an other-worldly aspect: dramatic black backgrounds and silhouettes set off the many patternsAof clouds, stars, trees, rooftops, cobblestones. Winter casts the angelic audience smiling upon Bach from the firmament in a far more favorable light than the "unruly boys" Bach tutors and the "fidgety choirboys" at the church where Bach plays the organ. Readers who prefer an idealized portrait will be well served by this unusual, if somewhat elusive, book. Ages 5-8. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.PreSchool-Grade 3-As she did so effectively in My Name Is Georgia (Harcourt, 1998), Diego (Knopf, 1994), and Josefina (Harcourt, 1996), Winter combines a spare text and colorful illustrations to capture her subject's personality. In a folkloric tone, she presents the outlines of the composer's youth, family, marriage, and work. The author clearly relates how music dominated Bach's life as compositions filled his head and he worked feverishly to get them down on paper. She also succeeds at conveying the complexity of composition: "He heard one melody for the violin, one for the trumpet, one for the flute, and one for the oboe." Winter's palette is dominated by the blue, teal, and violet that are used to border each page, although within the illustrations, they take on a deeper, more vibrant shade. Waving ribbons of color represent the music throughout the illustrations. Although few details of the composer's life are included, readers will sense his determination to succeed. Most of all, they will understand the importance of his music to the world.Jane Marino, Scarsdale Public Library, NYCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Sebastian: A Book about Bach | [
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7,029 | 2 | Text: SpanishAudrey Woodis theauthor ofmany beloved books for children, including the bestselling classicThe Napping House, its companion The Full Moon at the Napping House, Caldecott Honor Book King Bidgood's in the Bathtub,HeckedyPeg, Piggies,and Piggy Pie Po, all of which wereillustrated by her husband,Don Wood.The Woods divide their time between California and Hawaii.; Title: La casa adormecida | [
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7,030 | 2 | Audrey Woodis theauthor ofmany beloved books for children, including the bestselling classicThe Napping House, its companion The Full Moon at the Napping House, Caldecott Honor Book King Bidgood's in the Bathtub,HeckedyPeg, Piggies,and Piggy Pie Po, all of which wereillustrated by her husband,Don Wood.The Woods divide their time between California and Hawaii.; Title: Piggies | [
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7,031 | 1 | Another installment in Gerald McDermott's wise and whimsical trickster series, Jabutí the Tortoise tells the tale of the Amazon jungle's shiny-shelled mischief-maker. Although Jabutí doesn't come across as the most clever trickster around in this particular retelling (he's duped by that crabby old Vulture and ends up getting bailed out by the King of Heaven), the colorful pipe-player and his songs are clearly well loved. Well, by everybody but his victims, that is: "Jaguar could remember when Jabutí tricked him into chasing his own tail," and "Tapir could remember when Jabutí tricked him into a tug-of-war with Whale." But we do get to learn how Tortoise's shell became cracked, and why Toucan, Macaw, and Hummingbird boast such brilliant colors.Not the most notable entry in this region-by-region series, but beautiful and boldly colored nonetheless. Kids who aren't immediately hooked by Jabutí's story will likely still get drawn in by McDermott's vibrant colors and straightforward compositions of simply shaped jungle creatures set against a bright pink dawn. (Ages 4 to 8) Paul HughesWith its shocking-pink jacket and swirls of brilliant designs, McDermott's retelling of this rain forest tale is visually arresting but narratively a bit colorless. The reputed trickster Jabut gets his comeuppance when a jealous Vulture offers to fly the tortoise and his flute to the King of Heaven's festival of song, then wickedly drops his passenger down from the skies. The King of Heaven chastises the vulture, and the birds who put Jabut's smooth shell back together again gain new feathers as their reward. Though Jabut's shell is "cracked and patched," his "song is sweet." Oddly, Jabut doesn't possess a trickster's lively intelligence or cleverness, and the story's plot is resolved by the God of Heaven's intervention rather than by the protagonist's cunning. The story begins with the animals that Jabut has tricked, but they all disappear immediately in favor of a pourquoi tale about how the tortoise got the cracks on his shell. McDermott's illustrations, on the other hand, vibrate with electric colors and patterns. Jabuti's huge eyes and geometric smile, and the interior, brightly colored birds are startling when silhouetted against the pink sky. Ages 4-8. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: Jabut¡ the Tortoise: A Trickster Tale from the Amazon | [
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7,032 | 15 | This rollicking ballad springs from an actual incident: captured in 1720 aboard the sloop Vanity when their dilatory mates "below, did drink and sport," the "pirate queens" Anne Bonney and Mary Reade escaped hanging because they were pregnant. Author and artist imagine them later, roughhousing with their grandchildren, while their fellow pirates are fated to sail a ghost ship ("And silver the coins and silver the moon,/ Silver the waves on the top of the sea,/ When the ghostly ship comes sailing in,/ That gallant Vanity"). Yolen and Shannon sail a different course than the one they plotted for the darker and more tragic Encounter (1992). Yolen approaches this almost farcical incident in simple, occasionally rough verse. Ironic in their stateliness, Shannon's paintings-framed, captioned in a scrawled script and otherwise composed to evoke the 18th century-display a sly humor; Mary and Anne in profile "pleading their bellies" before a judge will elicit chuckles. Not for everyone, but offbeat and grimly amusing. Ages 4-12. Children's BOMC featured selection. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.Grade 3-6?"And silver the coins and silver the moon,/Silver the waves on the top of the sea..." Yolen writes a most unusual ballad of pirate adventure that sings the history of Anne Bonney and Mary Reade, the only 2 women of the 12 pirates aboard the Vanity. They defend the ship from the men of the governor's man-o'-war, Albion, while their captain and the rest of the crew are below drinking rum and playing cards. The females are absolutely the best and bravest of this bad lot. The Vanity is taken; all are brought to trial, but Anne and Mary escape hanging by "pleading their bellies" (claiming they are pregnant), a page taken from history for which Yolen provides notes. Shannon's acrylics are rich, dark, and realistic, and expand upon the story. Faces glow as they did in his work for Rafe Martin's Rough-Face Girl (Putnam, 1992). The depth of the art is reminiscent of great classic illustrators working in oil, especially N.C. Wyeth. This is not for the faint of heart?no good pirate story is?as pirates are not a God-fearing lot. But it is for those who crave high adventure, death-defying acts, and an unflinching glimpse into history. A rousing read-aloud.?Helen Gregory, Grosse Pointe Public Library, MICopyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: The Ballad of the Pirate Queens | [
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7,033 | 11 | Kindergarten-Grade 3. Fox has composed a simple refrain to celebrate human connections in this lovely picture book. "Little one, whoever you are," she explains, there are children all over the world who may look different, live in different homes and different climates, go to different schools, and speak in different tongues but all children love, smile, laugh, and cry. Their joys, pain, and blood are the same, "whoever they are, wherever they are, all over the world." Staub's oil paintings complement the simple text. She uses bright matte colors for the landscapes and portraits, placing them in gold borders, set with jewels and molded from plaster and wood. These frames enclose the single- and double-page images and echo the rhythm of the written phrases. Within the covers of the book, the artist has created an art gallery that represents in color, shape, and texture, the full range of human experience.?Barbara Kiefer, Teachers College, Columbia University, NYCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.A one-world, ``we-are-all-the-same-under-the-skin'' message for the very young from Fox (The Straight Line Wonder, p. 1388, etc.). ``Little one, whoever you are, wherever you are, there are little ones just like you all over the world.'' Skin color, homes, schools, lifestyles, and languages may differ (and newcomer Staub shows how, in folk-art oil paintings mounted in gilded and jeweled wooden frames), but love and laughter, pain and tears are the same for all. The faces of the little ones in Staub's paintings are as appealing as dolls', and a beatific paternal figure in a sky-blue suit printed with clouds floats through the pages with a bevy of children in his arms. An essential book that acknowledges in the simplest of terms our common humanity. (Picture book. 2-6) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.; Title: Whoever You Are | [
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7,034 | 16 | Counting Crocodiles may feel familiar to you, perhaps due to its folktale roots, maybe because Will Hillenbrand's artwork is so marvelously, comically, stylistically perfect, or perhaps because the delightful rhyme is so much like that of Lewis Carroll or Edward Lear. Here's a sample: "On an island in the middle of the Sillabobble Sea / lived a clever little monkey in a sour lemon tree. / She ate lemons boiled and fried, / steamed, sauteed, pureed, and dried. / She ate lemons till she cried, / 'I'm all puckered up inside!'" Meanwhile, Hillenbrand's full-page illustrations provide unending delights. In the first, most lemony of spreads, the snail is holding a whole lemon in her mouth, the fox has a glass of lemonade, and the lemon tree is laden with a blender, juicer, rolling pin, peeler, spatulas, and pans. The monkey looks suitably soured by the whole state of affairs.On the second page, the monkey spies a banana tree on a similarly deserted island. Of course, she craves a few of these fine fruits. And she wonders aloud how many crocodiles there might be in the Sillabobble Sea. One crusty croc emerges to imply slyly that there are so many crocs that she could easily walk on their backs to the banana island, and invites her to count them. She counts them: "... one crocodile with a great big smile, / Two crocs resting on rocks, / Three crocs rocking in a box, / Four crocs building with blocks," and so on, until she counts "Ten crocs dressed like Goldilocks." Impatiently, the rascally reptiles ask her how many of them there are, she stalls, she counts them again, and lo and behold! in all the splashing and cavorting, the monkey (with the help of the fox and the snail) gets her bananas! This is one of the most delightful picture books around! (Ages 4 to 8)PreSchool-Grade 1. "On an island in the middle of the Sillabobble Sea lived a clever little monkey in a sour lemon tree." The monkey eats lemons every way possible, but yearns to reach a distant island on which sweet bananas grow. Between the two islands is the sea?and interspersed in the crests of the waves are the yellow eyeballs of many, many crocodiles. When the monkey wonders aloud whether there are more crocodiles in the sea or monkeys on the shore, the crocs line up to be counted, providing access to the tasty fruit. Based on a Pan-Asian folktale, Sierra's rhyming verse is perfectly complemented by Hillenbrand's cleverly detailed illustrations executed in oil, oil pastel, watercolor, and gouache on vellum. The full-page spreads carry well for group sharing, while the rhyming verse incorporates rhythm changes in the most delectable manner, creating a book that is meant to be read aloud. The youngest listeners will be able to join in on the counting while older ones will appreciate the illustrator's visual jokes. While Paul Galdone's Monkey and the Crocodile (Clarion, 1979) remains a beloved standard, Hillenbrand's vivid colors and Sierra's rich, descriptive text ensure that readers and listeners alike will delight in Counting Crocodiles.?Lisa Falk, Palos Verdes Library, CACopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Counting Crocodiles | [
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7,035 | 2 | PreSchool-Grade 3-A gentle celebration of family bonds. Drawing on her own visit to her mother's homeland, Wong relates the excursion of a young American girl and her parent to stay with relatives in Korea. The travelers first carefully select gifts for their hosts: leather work gloves for grandfather, a pretty apron for grandmother, and an alphabet book for the child's aunt. In return, "they gave us hugs." The child participates in daily routines such as heating the house with charcoal placed in a floor tunnel, feeding the pigs, going to the outdoor market, and playing cards-all in a warm, familial setting. Author and illustrator harmonize well, painting the patterns and flavors of rural life. Jia's brown-and-gray watercolor backgrounds are punctuated by spots of bright color in the clothing, rows of vegetables, and in a few special treasures. In a bittersweet, circular closing, gifts are given to the travelers, and "we gave them hugs." The many facets of homecoming and going may be further developed through books such as Eve Bunting's I Have an Olive Tree (HarperCollins, 1999), Allen Say's Grandfather's Journey (Houghton, 1993), Jane Kurtz's Faraway Home (Harcourt, 2000), and Edna Coe Bercaw's Halmoni's Day (Dial, 2000).Wendy Lukehart, Dauphin County Library, Harrisburg, PA Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.Ages 3-7. Recalling her childhood trip to rural Korea with her mother to visit her grandparents and aunt, Wong measures her words to reflect the simple pleasures of the reunion. The pages reveal the farmers' way of life: Grandfather makes the charcoal that heats the house through tunnels under the floor; Grandmother markets in outdoor stalls and cooks in a stove lit with pine branches. The foods and their preparation, including persimmons stored on the roof, are described, as are the leisure- time activities--telling stories, playing cards, reading. There's no hustling to tourist attractions, just time together, paced to the daily rhythms of the family from whom the author has been separated. The gifts given on leave-taking are all the more meaningful for the memories they trigger of the cherished visit--a charcoal drawing of the neighboring hills, a necklace of dried persimmons, and an original poem written in Korean. This tender story of family love is expressively pictured in bright watercolors: jewel-tone clothing, colorful vegetables, and homey objects sparkle against the grays of the hills and the browns of the fields and the house. Bridging cultural and generational gaps, this beautiful, lyrically written picture book has much to say to children, no matter their nationality. Ellen MandelCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: The Trip Back Home | [
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7,036 | 11 | No BioRichard Brown is a published author, editor, illustrator, narrator, and a photographer of children's books. Some of the published credits of Richard Brown include A Kid's Guide to Washington, D.C.: Revised and Updated Edition, I'm Going to Read (Level 2): Halloween Party (I'm Going to Read Series), I Love Baby, and I'm Going to Read (Level 2): Hooray for the 4th of July (I'm Going to Read Series).; Title: A Kid's Guide to Washington, D.C. | [
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7,037 | 5 | Grade 4-8. Merlin echoes the tone and rhythms of Passager (1996) and Hobby (1996, both Harcourt), brief novels with medieval yet timeless settings, written in stark but poetic language that will challenge some readers. It begins when Merlin is 12 and alone in the forest. Escaping from a pack of wild dogs, he is rescued by the wodewose, the wild folk of the woods, and taken to their tent village. But the wild folk are reluctant to take in the boy until they learn that he is a dreamer. Then he is not only claimed, but also caged, and fed a steady diet of herbs and potions to induce sleep. One of his dreams predicts the bloody destruction of the wodewose, and as they pack their tents and belongings, Merlin escapes and returns to the woods. He is followed by a child known as Cub, who has tried to befriend and protect him. When the wild folk are destroyed by advancing soldiers, Merlin and Cub realize they are alone in the world. Feeling that the child needs a true name as they journey together into the future, Merlin names him Artus?bear man?after another of his dreams. Yolen's three books fit together as seamlessly as the chapters of a single volume. Without the other installments, Merlin is merely an episode in the life of the young and future wizard (albeit an important one). Read together, this trilogy presents a logical tale taking Merlin from early abandonment down the road to his much more well-known future.?Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PACopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.Gr. 5^-8. In this conclusion to the well-written Young Merlin trilogy, Hawk-Hobby, whose true name is Merlin, takes refuge in the woods where his saga began. After he is saved from a pack of wild dogs by a wild man, the 12-year-old boy finds himself living in a forested village of wild folk. Imprisoned by the local women after they discover his prophetic powers, Hawk-Hobby escapes with the help of a small child named Cub, who happens to be the once and future King Arthur. Given the sophisticated style, complex theme of the search for identity, and subtle allusions to Arthurian and other medieval legends, the series as a whole seems best suited to middle-school readers. However, one wonders if readers of this age will pick up these slender, juvenile-looking books. Although this stands on its own better than the other books in the trilogy, one must ask why the texts weren't published as one longer book marketed for an audience older than children "ages 7^-10" ? Julie Corsaro; Title: Merlin: The Young Merlin Trilogy, Book Three | [
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7,038 | 16 | “What a charmer. . . . An excellent story hour choice.”--BooklistSUE WILLIAMS is the author of the acclaimed picture books I Went Walking and Let’s Go Visiting, as well as Dinnertime! She lives in Adelaide, Australia, where she is also an editor and publisher of children’s books. ; Title: I Went Walking | [
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7,039 | 1 | Nurse Lugton falls asleep over her sewing, and the piece--decorated with people and animals--comes alive. A "great ogress," Lugton has placed an enchantment on the cloth; its "inhabitants" are free only when she snores five times, but must freeze again when she awakens. Although Woolf wrote this tale in 1924 it wasn't published until 1965--perhaps with good reason. The prose is surprisingly lifeless ("For it was well known that even the smallest monkey was enchanted. For a great ogress had them in her toils . . . "), rambling and confusing. Unfortunately, this isn't Vivas's best work, either. The illustrator of Possum Magic and The Nativity presents some fanciful animal characters and her palette is characteristically soft, but a certain vitality--generally a strong suit for this artist--is lacking. Her depiction of Nurse Lugton as a tired, kindly-looking older woman doesn't jibe with Woolf's descripton. Vivas's Lugton doesn't seem like a wicked enchantress, but like someone who would set the captives of the cloth free if she could. Disjointed and disappointing. Ages 7-up. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.Grade 1-3-- When great authors write small tales for children of their acquaintance, it is not always their best work, especially if "found among the pages" of their manuscripts. Virginia Woolf's story, first in print in 1965 and republished here as a picture book, is indeed a small tale. Nurse Lugton's curtain, on which she is sewing when she falls asleep, comes alive briefly, releasing its pattern of animals and villagers and sunbaked buildings in the town of Millamarchmantopolis. When Nurse Lugton awakes, the parade of animals and people falls quickly back into the folds of the cloth and the story is done. However, this is Virginia Woolf's story, and the simple tale flows with the rhythms of an accomplished prose writer. Vivas's watercolor illustrations flow across the pages like the prose, with parading animals and marching villagers costumed as if for Mardi Gras. Jungle animals and Africans surround Nurse Lugton's sleeping head, hands, and feet until suddenly she wakens and everything tumbles back into the folds of the cloth and reality resumes its dull symmetry. --Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJCopyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Nurse Lugton's Curtain | [
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7,040 | 2 | Cherry traces the ecological evolution of New England's Nashua River--how it was respected by generations of Indians, polluted and ultimately deadened in the wake of the industrial revolution and restored in recent years through the efforts of concerned citizens. She delivers this message with a heavier hand than she used in The Great Kapok Tree ; her writing is more complex and ponderous, and less accessible and inviting, than in the earlier work. While this book provides a solid history, it does little to bring the issues or pivotal figures to life. The colorless account of the citizens' battle to clean up the river, for example, reflects little of the passions and energy involved. Though not her best work, Cherry's illustrations tell the story more effectively. (One allegorical painting of an Indian chief's head--superimposed on trees--crying into the river, however, jars with the naturalistic style.) Of particular benefit are the handsome, intricately detailed borders that surround the text: depictions of various period artifacts provide artistic interest and added information. Ages 6-10. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.Grade 1-4-- In the 15th century, when native people first settled on the banks of the river now called the Nashua, it was a fertile and beautiful place. By the 1960s, the river valley had been ravaged by many years of serious pollution , and fish, birds, and other animals were no longer seen in the area. Through the efforts of Marion Stoddart and the Nashua River Watershed Association, laws were passed that resulted in the restoration of this river and the protection of all rivers. The author gets high marks for documenting the negative impact of industry on the environment and for highlighting the difference one determined person can make. However, young readers lacking historical background need more facts and dates than are included here. Cherry uses borders on pages that detail, for example, some of the inventions conceived in the 19th century; inexplicably, most are labeled but only some are dated. Her note and the maps on the endpapers, which include a timeline, also help to place the events in context. The watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations are sweeping in their subject matter and adequately convey the physical deterioration of the watershed. However, one picture is misleading; although all the animals depicted live in this habitat, they would not all be seen together. The current concern over the environment will make this a sought-after title, since it is brief enough to read aloud to groups of children. With assistance from informed adult readers, it makes an important contribution to literature on water pollution. --Ellen Fader, Westport Public Library, CTCopyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: A River Ran Wild: An Environmental History | [
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7,041 | 2 | In this gentle, straightforward picture book, Mother Bear has a harder time than most parents getting her baby to sleep, as bedtime here means winter hibernation. The beleaguered mother fetches a snack and then a drink into the cave, but when Baby Bear says that he can't fall asleep without the moon, she is stumped?until her resourcefulness comes to the rescue. Baby Bear's realistic bit of grumbling only makes the book seem sweeter. Asch (Barnyard Lullaby; the Moonbear books) uses a soothing palette of browns and blues: the simple bear figures are darkly outlined, and the cave's background sponged to add texture and a touch of luminosity to the cavernous tones. The story is a welcome addition to the bedtime genre, one parents will be glad to have as a resource when it's time to get their own little ones to nod off. Ages 2-6. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.PreSchool-K-A worthy addition to the many tales about recalcitrant bed-goers. Winter is coming and Baby Bear's mother leads him to their cave to hibernate. However, the cub wants a drink, a snack, and then the moon itself before he can go to sleep. Mother Bear affectionately copes with all of his demands, coming up with imaginative solutions, until Baby Bear finally settles down. Asch uses more varied art techniques than in his previous titles (sponges, acrylic paint, bristol board) and a larger format, but with the same outstanding results-a simple text, large illustrations, elegant format, and definite child appeal. Perfect for reading aloud at tucking-in time, this story will also be a good choice for units on the changing seasons.Judith Constantinides, East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LACopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Good Night, Baby Bear | [
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7,042 | 8 | Kindergarten-Grade 3-- Here's one of those odd publishing coincidences that seems to happen every so often--simultaneous new editions of the same story. Although very different in treatment, each is compelling in its own way and both are visually beautiful. Lynch's illustrations are, perhaps, the more unusual. Like closeup camera shots, they are tightly focused on the soldier and show only those bits of the world at large that affect him. These narrow, sometimes startling perspectives give certain illustrations real depth and dimension, creating powerful visual images, while his use of dense, neutral shades underscores the drama of the soldier's journey and provides a sense of hard-edged reality. The book's overall design is not as effective as some of the individual illustrations, however. Small, extraneous drawings of toys punctuate large blocks of text and distract the eye from its primary focus on the facing page. The placement of the text is blocky and awkward, often laid on top of the illustrations in a distracting manner. Marcellino takes a more traditional approach in his illustrations. Viewers will recognize this immediately as a "fairy tale" by his use of soft, misty colors, all washed in the golden glow of candlelight. The palette is warm, and the pictures have texture and a panoramic sweep that gives substance to the wider world in which the Tin Soldier's adventures take place, enhancing the sense of the his haplessness. The illustrations are flatter, less dynamic than Lynch's, but the overall design is more effective. From title page to endpapers, careful and loving attention has been paid to balance and flow; the typeface is eye-catching and integral to the whole. Although both books are primarily showcases for the artists, the story is still important and the two are quite different. Lewis's translation is standard Andersen--wordy and slightly old-fashioned, but very readable. Seidler's text, while maintaining a strong sense of Andersen's voice, is tighter and much more direct. It reads fluidly with a verbal balance and flow that complements Marcellino's illustrations. For overall quality bookmaking, the choice would be the Marcellino, although Lynch's work is fresh and different, and has more child appeal. Comparison of the two works will enhance a whole language study and could be a valuable exercise for art classes as well. --Linda Boyles, Alachua County Library District, Gainesville, FLCopyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.Text: English (translation) Original Language: Danish; Title: The Steadfast Tin Soldier | [
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7,043 | 4 | PreS?These board books feature creative texts and brightly colored images. The words, while spare, have been carefully chosen to create a level of anticipation and excitement for even the youngest of listeners: "Train chugs/Clickety-clack/Engine up front/Caboose in back." The primary-color illustrations are bold and visual, and sure to help hold youngsters' interest in the short, simple stories. Both titles are excellent for lap-sit programs or one-on-one sharing.?Lisa Marie Gangemi, Sousa Elementary School, Port Washington, NYCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.Chris Demarest has been writing and illustrating children’s books for three decades. His Firefighters A to Z was chosen as a NY Times Best Book in 2000.  He is an official artist of the U.S. Coast Guard, traveling as far as the Persian Gulf to document their work. Now, travelling with his art exhibition "WWII Journey," life is the open road.   --This text refers to an alternate Board book edition.; Title: Bus | [
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7,044 | 4 | PreS?These board books feature creative texts and brightly colored images. The words, while spare, have been carefully chosen to create a level of anticipation and excitement for even the youngest of listeners: "Train chugs/Clickety-clack/Engine up front/Caboose in back." The primary-color illustrations are bold and visual, and sure to help hold youngsters' interest in the short, simple stories. Both titles are excellent for lap-sit programs or one-on-one sharing.?Lisa Marie Gangemi, Sousa Elementary School, Port Washington, NYCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.No Bio; Title: Train | [
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7,045 | 0 | After the frog at the pond's edge tells him that he's ugly, the cricket of Swampswallow Pond loses his zest for life and for singing. The glowworm and the ladybug try to persuade the cricket that he's just as good as the rest of them, while the dragonfly declares, "Wishing is a waste of time." Finally, the Old One, a spider who lives on the other side of the pond, spins a wise tale about the real beauty of friendship and convinces the cricket to sing again. The author tells the familiar story of the loss of identity and the uniqueness of individuals in a wistful, not particularly fresh, way. While Howe gives insects a human dimension, Young perceives that world with the eye of a cricket or a dragonfly, noting the color variations and luster on that particular wavelength. The resultant paintings are extraordinary, almost abstract works, much worthier of praise than this oft-told tale. Ages 4-8. or this oft-passed-back-and- forth-review!!!Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.PreSchool-Grade 3 In the cleanest, clearest prose he's written to date, Howe tells a simple fable that deserves to stay in print a long, long, time. The littlest cricket is so miserable that he refuses to make music because the frog called him ugly. He wishes he were a butterfly instead. When he sees the wise old spider, she tells him what she thinks of him and what she has learned in her spider's life ``spinning and waiting, waiting and spinning.'' He finally feels beautiful, and of course, he is. He begins to fiddle again, and a butterfly, hearing, says, ``I wish I were a cricket.'' Young's shimmering pastels create an insect's view, moving from the cricket's dark jungle of grass with flashes of sun, to light from the butterfly's viewpoint. An excellent lap book, the story also tells well. The cricket is Everychild who stopped the music because someone criticized casually, thoughtlessly. It takes a wise friend to bring the music back, if it's possible. This book could help. Helen Gregory, Grosse Pointe Pub . Lib . , Mich.Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: I Wish I Were a Butterfly | [
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7,046 | 15 | PreSchool-K?Another story about the life cycle of growing things?in this case, mammoth sunflowers?planted in a way that captures the imagination. A young boy plants the seeds in a large circle. He waters them and waits patiently until they grow taller than himself, with huge nodding blossoms that form a perfect "sunflower house." He and two friends play in the "house" all summer, even sleeping in it one night, until the leaves turn brown and the stems fall down. Then they fill their pockets with the seeds, the birds eat some, and the rest are left on the ground to grow again next summer. Bunting's idea is creative and charming, with poetic and romantic aspects. Unfortunately, the text, written in rhymed couplets, is not wholly successful. At times, the rhyme scheme seems strained and the meter becomes singsongy. The bright illustrations, done in watercolor and colored pencil, are reminiscent of this team's Flower Garden (Harcourt, 1994). They are realistic and add interesting details that extend the brief text. Despite its flaws, the book could spark an interest in the cycle of nature.?Virginia Golodetz, St. Michael's College, Winooski, VTCopyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.Ages 4^-7. A little boy plants sunflower seeds in a big circle. He cares for them and watches them grow into a round wall of stems with golden flowers at the top. After playing in the "sunflower house" all summer, he and his friends collect the seeds from the dying plants to sow for next summer's flowers. Rhymed couplets written in first person express the boy's determination, surprise, and delight as he weaves his own play into the sunflowers' cycle from seed to seed. The watercolor-and-colored pencil artwork shows a variety of perspectives, from cross sections of the seed sprouting underground to moonlit scenes of children sleeping out in the sunflower house. Primary and preschool teachers will find this a colorful, child-appealing addition to units on plants. Parents should prepare for spring planting. Carolyn Phelan; Title: Sunflower House | [
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7,047 | 0 | Kindergarten-Grade 2-From a neighborly distance, Zeke seems to be a "dream dog." So, when Mrs. Teaberry, his owner, hurts her foot, her friend Mr. Putter does not hesitate to volunteer to walk him. At the end of a leash, however, the little bulldog is a "nightmare." He tugs, tangles, and chases "big dogs." Mr. Putter, always accompanied by his cat, resorts to bribes of just the sort (ice cream, swimming pools, carnivals, and zoos) that tempt children to good behavior. Mr. Putter at last returns Zeke, and he and Tabby celebrate. This beginning-reader chapter book has a brief text (with a few words readers might have to stretch for), plenty of repetitive phrases, and lots of visual clues. Howard's illustrations are breezy, watercolor-and-pencil cartoons that extend the humor and give comic life to the mischievous canine, the earnest cat, and the hapless humans. Another winner from Rylant.Meg Stackpole, Rye Free Reading Room, NYCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.“Watercolor-and-ink pictures squeeze every bit of life and humor out of the stories. Solid fare for easy-reading shelves.”--Booklist; Title: Mr. Putter & Tabby Walk the Dog | [
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7,048 | 0 | A deftly plotted and fast-paced novel. -- School Library JournalRinaldi's fans will scoop this up. -- The BulletinAnn Rinaldi is an award-winning author best known for bringing history vividly to life. She has received numerous starred reviews and awards, as well as widespread recognition for her historical novels. She lives in central New Jersey.; Title: Cast Two Shadows: The American Revolution in the South | [
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7,049 | 2 | When two sisters take a shortcut through the park one rainy winter day at dusk, the horses on the canvas-shrouded carousel magically come to life and take them for a thrilling twilight ride, soaring up into the sky above town. Something goes awry, however?the horses go wild, and it's up to the girls, with the help of their mother's tool kit and the elder sister's flute serenade, to set things right. Throughout the poetic text, there are hints of the girls' mother's death?the use of the past tense when she's mentioned, and a lingering sadness?and by story's end readers sense that a hurdle has been crossed on their road to healing. Rosenberg's atmospheric tale is greatly enhanced by LaMarche's (The Rainbabies) singularly luminous artwork; mist all but lingers on the pages, and his superb use of light and shadow underscores the element of magic threading through the story. Ages 4-8. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.Kindergarten-Grade 3?On a rainy day in February, two sisters stop by a park after school and peek into the pavilion that houses a long-stilled carousel. To their delight and amazement, the horses are whinnying and prancing around. The narrator leaps on her favorite mare and they fly off into the twilight. Her sister climbs on a zebra and they gallop off together. In response to the observation that "they're wild because they are broken," the girls race home to get their deceased mother's old red toolbox. The younger one proceeds to take the carousel machinery apart until she fixes it, just like her mother would have done. Her sibling calms the horses by playing her flute and the steeds resume their places on the carousel. Wonderfully detailed paintings done in acrylic washes with colored pencils capture the action. The soft, dark gray-blues and lavenders of the pictures are accented by warm, glowing street lights and lighted houses. The sense of wonder and delight on the girls' faces make this fanciful adventure an appealing one. A pleasing story, which, like Chris Van Allsburg's The Polar Express (Houghton, 1985), can be enjoyed on many different levels.?Janet M. Bair, Trumbull Library, CTCopyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: The Carousel | [
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7,050 | 20 | An exquisite rendition of the Nativity, this work really is the star, a sure standout amidst the season's picture books. Blythe's (The Whales' Song) awe-inspiring oils interpret in photo-realistic detail Mary and Joseph's difficult journey and the miraculous birth of Christ. The images include traditional scenes along with more startling compositions, such as a blinding-white angel appearing in the dark heavens and frightening the tiny mortal shepherds below. Maintaining an appropriate reverence, Dunbar transforms the Biblical story into a rhyming cumulative text. Her sophisticated vocabulary and phrasing guard against the singsong rhythm that so frequently governs cumulative verse: "This is the gold and fragrant myrrh/ And frankincense, the gifts that were/ Placed by the manger warm with hay/ Wherein a newborn baby lay." A volume to be treasured by the whole family. All ages. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.Ages 5^-8. Dunbar tells the story of the Nativity as a cumulative tale, and she's surprisingly successful. She achieves reverence and grandeur by stringing together verses that echo biblical language and have a carol-like rhythm that builds image after image. The text is beautifully matched, perhaps outmatched, by the high-quality artwork. In fact, the majestic full-page oil paintings are the primary attraction of the book. Blythe blends realism and mystery in his work, using chiaroscuro and unbelievably complex textures to provide visual continuity for the text. In less capable hands, the difficult verse form might have become monotonous, but this book works because of the tonal quality of the verse, the finely honed phrases, and the extraordinary art. Shelley Townsend-Hudson; Title: This Is the Star | [
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7,051 | 0 | The bear family introduced in Yolen's and Dyer's Baby Bear's Bedtime Book and The Three Bears Rhyme Book return in rhyming poems celebrating 15 holidays. Written primarily in the voice of Baby Bear, Yolen's short, bouncy verses can be humorous and endearing, although they occasionally succumb to the precious. Consistently engaging are Dyer's buoyant watercolors, which include lavish full-page pictures as well as inventive background patterns and borders to frame the text. Gracefully conveying the changing seasons, Dyer's art also captures the spunk of its bruin protagonists?especially the cub on the final page, who celebrates that top-rated holiday, the birthday. Ages 3-8. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.PreSchool-Grade 2?Baby Bear, joined by Mother, Father, or their friend Goldilocks, celebrates 15 special days throughout the year. Each occasion is featured in a splendid two-page watercolor illustration with a short poem honoring the event. Readers will enjoy the rich images filled with plenty of detail to carry the eye from corner to corner and back, with a bit of humor or small surprise tucked inside. Inventive use of white space results in pages that are full but never cluttered. Harder to find holidays such as Arbor Day, Groundhog Day, and Labor Day are included along with Mother's and Father's Days, Earth Day, Chanukah, and May Day. The poetry highlights simple pleasures, happy imagery, and loving relationships. A fine addition that youngsters will come back to again and again.?Virginia E. Jeschelnig, Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library, Willowick, OHCopyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: The Three Bears Holiday Rhyme Book | [
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7,052 | 3 | Audrey Woodis theauthor ofmany beloved books for children, including the bestselling classicThe Napping House, its companion The Full Moon at the Napping House, Caldecott Honor Book King Bidgood's in the Bathtub,HeckedyPeg, Piggies,and Piggy Pie Po, all of which wereillustrated by her husband,Don Wood.The Woods divide their time between California and Hawaii.; Title: Silly Sally (Big Book) | [
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7,053 | 2 | "So tiny, yet the closer you look, the bigger she gets" perfectly captures Dream Weaver, Jonathan London and illustrator Rocco Baviera's evocative, hypnotic picture book about a little boy watching a tiny yellow spider, in the up-close-and-personal vein of Verdi and Stellaluna. If you're quiet and you really listen, can you hear the spider's feet on the sparkling web? Baviera's ultramagnified, crayon-pencil illustrations make you feel like it might be possible. The spider's web shimmers with the slightest wind, and a "raindrop on a fallen leaf is a forest pool." Magically, this talented pair manages to make the little yellow spider's webbed world soothing bedtime fare--the young boy goes home from spider gazing to dream about weaving a web of his own to catch fallen stars and return them to the night sky. (Great read aloud, ages 4 to 8) --Karin SnelsonThis woodland idyll spins the delicate tale of Yellow Spider, an orb weaver. Magnifying the spider's hidden world, London (The Eyes of Gray Wolf) writes his lyric prose in second person ("If you're quiet and listen, maybe you can hear its feet on the sparkling web"), while Bavier (A Boy Called Slow) spotlights the initial spider sighting, then cleverly introduces a boy viewer with whom readers can readily identify. The book thus becomes an invitation into the orb weaver's universe. Here, a snail is gargantuan (it fills an entire spread), and "a raindrop on a fallen leaf is a forest pool." The tranquil, Lilliputian perspective shifts when a hiker charges through, and Baviera shows the spider's web and environs in shambles (and the hiker's footprint in evidence). Undaunted, Yellow Spider "waits, then begins to weave." Bavier's full-bleed, electric, crayon pencil illustrations and telephoto focus heighten the miniature drama. With a palette of primary and secondary shades, Bavier's pictures fairly vibrate with intensity. An addendum, presented as a notebook entry, fills in the scientific details of Yellow Spider. Even reluctant scientists can appreciate this unflinching arachnid hero and may see the world a little differently after viewing it through his eyes. Ages 4-8. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Dream Weaver (Rise and Shine) | [
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7,054 | 1 | LOIS EHLERT has created many picture books, including Leaf Man, Pie in the Sky, In My World, Growing Vegetable Soup, Planting a Rainbow, and the bestselling Waiting for Wings. She lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.; Title: Feathers for Lunch | [
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7,055 | 0 | Born in St. Louis "in the days when buffalo still roamed the West," Charlie dreams of being a cowboy. At 15, he travels to the Montana frontier, and there he spends the rest of his days, riding the range, hunting and trapping, even living with the Blood Indians for a time. Finally, after waves of settlers, "Barbed-wire fences were everywhere. The great herds of buffalo were gone." Charlie retires to a log cabin studio and paints "the story of the Wild West." In fact, Charlie is a historical figure, Charles M. Russell, whose paintings and sculptures are now exhibited in museums. Winter (Diego; Sleepy River) documents the cowpoke's career and the landscape he loved in a series of expansive portraits (including one four-page gatefold) that showcase her own unmistakable talent. Stylized, slightly primitive characters and settings are rendered in a wholly unexpected palette-mauve clouds float against a cantaloupe sky, sheep graze in a turquoise field-for an effect that's both timeless and cutting-edge. Ages 4-up. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.Kindergarten-Grade 2?Through a young boy's dream of moving west and being a cowboy, Winter introduces Charles Russell, great American painter. Her stylized acrylics serve Charlie well, from pictures of his boyhood imaginings of frontier life to the realities of the wide, sprawling prairies teaming with wildlife to the bustling activities of the towns in the Old West and the cowhands. (One fold-out page is especially effective for the panoramic view, but will be delicate for young library users.) The author convincingly shows Russell's love for all prairie cultures, portraying his life with the Blood Indians with dignity and compassion. A final biographical note gives further information concerning honors Russell received and locations of his paintings. Large, horizontal spreads laced with spare text make Cowboy Charlie ideal for group sharing and independent daydreaming.?Claudia Cooper, Ft. Stockton Independent School District, TXCopyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Cowboy Charlie: The Story of Charles M. Russell | [
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7,056 | 13 | Andrea Davis Pinkney is the New York Times best-selling author of several books for young readers, including the novel Bird in a Box, a Today Show Al Roker Book Club for Kids pick, and Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America, winner of the Coretta Scott King Author Award. Additional works include the Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King Honor book Duke Ellington, illustrated by her husband, Brian Pinkney; and Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters, a Coretta Scott King Honor book and winner of the Carter G. Woodson Award. Andrea Davis Pinkney lives in New York City. ; Title: Watch Me Dance: Family Celebration Board Books | [
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7,057 | 17 | "He has always had this swing. This easy, upthrusting swing. This 'pretty' swing, not taught by any coach. One day the Babe just swung--and it was there. It was his." Combining stirring, poetic prose and Mike Wimmer's realistic illustrations, Home Run conveys the feeling of excitement and awe that must have been present at a baseball game in which the great Babe Ruth played. Robert Burleigh, who previously collaborated with Wimmer on the award-winning Flight: The Journey of Charles Lindbergh, writes this picture-book tribute "for my Father--who loved the game ... for my son, Eli, to help him learn the spirit of can-do." His great love for both shines through. Our stomachs knot and spirits soar as Ruth steps up to the plate. Home Run softly draws us into the story, and the illustrations, rendered in oil on canvas, have an expansiveness and glow that lift them from the page. The gentle tribute is enhanced by "vintage-style baseball cards" that highlight aspects of Babe Ruth's career ("The Bambino loved driving low-slung convertibles, donning silk shirts and coonskin coats, and downing huge meals"), allowing Burleigh the opportunity to include important information without destroying the perfect simplicity of the main story. A treasure for anyone with a love of the game, Home Run is also powerfully affecting for those new to the excitement it holds. (Click to see a sample spread. Illustration from Home Run by Robert Burleigh, illustration © 1998 by Mike Wimmer, reproduced by permission of Harcourt Brace & Company.) (Ages 5 and older) --Aimee DammanBurleigh and Wimmer, the creative team behind Flight: The Journey of Charles Lindbergh, give a bravura encore performance, this time turning their attention to another 20th-century legend, Babe Ruth. The Sultan of Swat emerges in sharp relief, a multi-layered profile of one of the brightest and best of the boys of summer. In a series of poetic present-tense images, readers see the Babe at play ("there is only the echoey, nothing-quite-like-it sound and soft feel of the fat part of the bat on the center of the ball"), while a congruent series of old-fashioned baseball cards provide baseball aficionados with detailed information about George Herbert Ruth Jr., his statistics and his life ("Many people know that Babe's top home-run season was 1927, when he bashed 60 big ones for a record that would stand for more than 30 years"). This clever juxtaposition provides Burleigh with abundant creative latitude, and he makes the most of it, delivering a solid biographical snapshot tucked inside a valentine to the sport. Wimmer's larger-than-life oil portraits, marvels of realism tinged with idealism, recall Norman Rockwell. His elastic use of perspective plants readers behind the home plate to watch Babe's pop fly head skyward, at the base line as his feet round the bases, and even in front of his bat, just spitting distance from the mound where the pitcher cocks his leg to wind up for the throw. Wimmer indicates two brief flashbacks to Babe Ruth's youth in sepia tones, while the rest of the artwork is full-color, bathed in glorious light. It's a superlative tribute, and most definitely a grand slam for this talented duo. Ages 6-10. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Home Run: The Story of Babe Ruth | [
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7,058 | 21 | While this deceptively simple book starring children building a snowman is ultimately about community-how human beings, no matter how small, can help each other create something bigger than themselves-youngsters will find the lilting language and action-filled illustrations to be just plain fun. Schertle's (How Now, Brown Cow?) text deftly describes what goes into making a snowman: "Billions of snowflakes/ piled in a mound,/ pat them/ and pack them/ and roll them/ around/ into one big ball." Her refrain-"That's all you need for a snowman. Except..."-encourages readers to turn the page for each new component. The watercolors, meanwhile, feature children in padded winter jackets who work together. As in childhood, the snowman looms larger than life. As they roll that "one big ball," for example, the children appear to be hugging the edge of a snow-white planet. They place saucer-size bottle caps on the snowman's face-"Surprise!/ Snowman's eyes!"-and add a broom taller than a house. The completed snowman is so huge that the book needs to be turned sideways to view it. Lavallee's illustrations, in the style of her work in Mama, Do You Love Me?, emphasize the children's profiles, shadowing one half of each face as if each character possessed both light and dark skin. A wintertime treat. Ages 2-5.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.PreSchool-Working cooperatively, the children of this snow-clad chalet village build two huge snowmen. In colorful winter clothing, these plump and squat kids, with their two-toned faces, swarm the white pages as step-by-step they create a snowman so big that readers must turn the page sideways for a full view. The text is bouncy and light, and rolls along like hand-packed snow. A heavy use of the word "except" entices children on to the next page. Finally, they see two snowmen of Paul Bunyan proportions. The skill of both the author and the artist gives this book energy. Toddlers will be thoroughly satisfied.Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MICopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: All You Need for a Snowman | [
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7,059 | 2 | No Bio; Title: Hilda Hen's Scary Night | [
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7,060 | 17 | Grade 4-10?This talented author and illustrator team once again use their tried-and-true formula, this time to produce a book about some of the world's greatest former athletes. While readers will find out about the subjects' most prodigious physical feats, it's what else they'll learn about them that propels this title above most other books published in this subject area. Where else can one be entertained with tidbits such as Babe Ruth's penchant for public demonstrations of his loud digestive noises, or the fact that Red Grange liked to make friends with baby alligators after retiring in Florida? Home runs, touchdowns, and world records take a back seat to information about what these athletes liked to wear, eat, and drink, and the superstitions they held. The 20 sports stars featured in four-to-six page spreads excelled in a wide variety of endeavors including golf, swimming, volleyball, surfing, and the martial arts. Six women are included in this ethnically diverse group. A substantial bibliography featuring 38 titles for further reading is provided for those who will want to find out more about one or a number of these athletes. As in Lives of the Artists (1995), Lives of the Writers (1994), and Lives of the Musicians (1993, all Harcourt), Hewitt's watercolor and colored pencil caricatures and other drawings add immensely to the fun.?Tom S. Hurlburt, La Crosse Public Library, WICopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.Gr. 4^-7. The newest addition to Krull and Hewitt's series of offbeat collective biographies, this lively book discusses the public feats and private lives of 20 athletes. Each section begins with a colorful, full-page portrait of the person with significant objects or surroundings: clad in a one-shoulder leopard skin and an Olympic gold medal, Johnny Weissmuller swings on a tree branch over a swimming pool with the Hollywood hills in the distance. His character, career, and athletic feats are covered in a few pages of data, descriptions, and anecdotes. Other athletes profiled include Jim Thorpe, Babe Ruth, Red Grange, Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Sonja Henie, Jessie Owens, Jackie Robinson, Roberto Clemente, Wilma Rudolph, Arthur Ashe, and Bruce Lee. Hewitt's watercolor-and-colored-pencil artwork combines fact and fancy to create a series of entertaining and meaningful illustrations. Another winner in a consistently fine series. Carolyn Phelan; Title: Lives of the Athletes: Thrills, Spills (and What the Neighbors Thought) | [
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7,061 | 0 | Grade 2-5?Inspired by a true story, the creators of Elijah's Angel (Harcourt, 1992) rejoin for this harrowing tale of a young freed slave who, with the help of a white man, sells himself back into slavery?39 times?to raise money for a school. The narrative is cast as an address delivered by 88-year-old Pompey Walker to the children of "his" school in 1923. He describes a slave's bitter life, the escape to Ohio with his first master's son-in-law (who became a lifelong friend), and his decision (for which the word "courageous" seems too weak) to begin the deadly scam. The narrator's voice is startlingly clear and natural, that of an old man uncomfortable before so many listeners, self-effacing but proud of his accomplishment, and with his hatred of "...the evil that was the whole of slavery" undimmed by years. Rosen explains in an afterword that Walker is a composite figure, his memories drawn from various slave narratives, and his exploits based on those of an ex-slave named Gussie West. Using dyes and bold, sinuous lines to suggest the rich, transparent coloring and stylized figures of stained glass, Robinson's full- and half-page illustrations convey strong feelings through facial expressions and gnarled, slightly oversized hands. The text is long for a picture book, but even younger readers will be completely engrossed.?John Peters, New York Public LibraryCopyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.Gr. 4^-6. Pompey Walker's amazing story is based on the life of Gussie West, a slave who sold himself into slavery again and again, escaped each time with the help of his white friend, and used the money to build a school for freed black children. It's an account of brutality and friendship, and Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson's expressive folk-style paintings in colored pencils, inks, and dyes show the horror of whippings and the auction block as well as the triumph of cunning escape and loving community. Drawing on slave memoirs, Rosen imagines Pompey Walker telling his story, an elderly man remembering and talking to the children in his school. The commentary and digressions interrupt the story too often, but the narrative voice sounds authentic. What a story it is. Hazel Rochman; Title: A School for Pompey Walker | [] | Train |
7,062 | 0 | Judy Sierra, author of the well-loved picture books Counting Crocodiles and The House That Drac Built, delights young readers again, this time paying poetic tribute to the distinguished-yet-waddling emperor penguin of icy Antarctica. Comical, cartoonish paintings by accomplished illustrators (and penguin lovers) Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey combined with Sierra's lively poems will have your favorite kids giggling and, perhaps, wanting a pet baby penguin of their own!Youngsters will dive, swim, and glide through playful poems such as "My Father's Feet," which begins: "To keep myself up on the ice,/I find my father's feet are nice./I snuggle in his belly fluff,/And that's how I stay warm enough." "Penguin's Swim" starts, "Ten little penguins all in a line--/One jumps in and now there are nine./Nine little penguins, how they hesitate--/One tumbles in and now there are eight." Sierra's poems are based on the lives and habits of emperor penguins, so your kids will learn about life in the Antarctic from a penguin's perspective. This book is as irresistible as the fish-slurping, huddling, fidgeting, waddling, ker-plopping penguins themselves! (Ideal for reading aloud, but perfect for early readers ages 4 to 8.)With winter still lingering, a listen to Antarctic Antics may be in order. This CD recording contains jaunty songs from the Weston Woods video adaptation of Judy Sierra's 1998 picture book of penguin poems (illus. by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey) as well as Sierra's narration of 12 of the poems. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.; Title: Antarctic Antics: A Book of Penguin Poems | [
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7,063 | 20 | Significant events and experiences in the life of Moses are recreated via the late Hodges's (Saint George and the Dragon) straightforward, child-friendly text in this picture-book biography. From his earliest days as an infant sent down the Nile in a bulrush basket, to his deliverance of the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai, Moses is portrayed as a humble man whose faith in God enabled him to be a great leader of the Jewish people. Hodges's writing succeeds in showing readers the adversity faced by the Israelites of biblical days in and expanding on the biblical passages, but does not offer any additional illumination of what Moses' personality may have been like. Moser's (Hummingbird Nest) handsome yet rather static watercolor portraits, featuring crisp borders and frequently dark backgrounds, are evocative of time and place. Unfortunately, they lack the verve that would better match the kinetic tone of the text. All ages. (Nov.) Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Grade 3-5Through the flowing, descriptive narrative of a storyteller, Hodges makes the story of this biblical figure memorable. Touching only on focal historical moments that directly affected Moses, she recounts the remarkable life of a boy born to a family of Hebrew slaves. Doomed to death by the Pharaoh's decree, he was saved by a courageous mother whose inner strength and trust in God passed on to her youngest son. Hodges humanizes her subject by emphasizing the obstacles he had to overcome in order to lead his people to safety, such as the fact that he stuttered and his brother, Aaron, had to speak for him. Moser's full-page watercolor paintingsone facing each page of textexpertly capture the action and emotion of each scene. The cover portrait of an aging Moses is compelling. The Ten Commandments are appended, each preceded by its Hebrew letter/number. This brief introduction to one of the most important leaders in Judeo-Christian history belongs in every public library collection.Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.; Title: Moses | [
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7,064 | 7 | Sparkling and witty, Tarr's (the Hound and the Falcon trilogy) latest phantasmagory takes readers back to the Middle Ages and the court of Charlemagne as it never was (but probably should have been). Charlemagne's daughter, Rowan, teams up with Kerrec, a Breton boy with magical powers, and an equally magical elephant named Abul Abbas, a gift to the emperor from his friend, the Caliph Haroun al-Rashid. Together, this unlikely trio struggles to thwart a supernatural plot against the ruler's life. Tarr fills this novel with memorable heroes, dastardly villains and spine-tingling sorcery. Not to be missed by lovers of historical fiction and fantasy. Ages 12-up. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.Gr. 6-9. The magnificent court of Charlemagne is the vivid setting of this novel by Tarr, a seasoned writer of fantasies for adults, who often draws upon medieval history for her settings. When her father is put under a deadly spell by a Byzantine sorcerer, teenage princess Rowan reluctantly joins forces with Kerrac, a stable boy from Brittany, and the emperor's enchanted elephant, Abul Abbas. Kerrac is an admitted witch who convinces Rowan that the only way she can save her father is to embrace the magical powers she inherited from her dead mother, the queen. The mystical battle between the forces of good and evil is rather confusing, but the dramatic ending is satisfying. Julie Corsaro; Title: His Majesty's Elephant | [
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7,065 | 2 | Keith Baker has written and illustrated many well-loved picture books and early chapter books, including several about the charming and lovable Mr. and Mrs. Green. Two of his best-known picture books, Hide and Snake and Who Is the Beast?, are about animals. He lives in Seattle, Washington.; Title: The Magic Fan | [
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7,066 | 2 | Grade 5-7-- In this entertaining fantasy readers will soon realize that things are not always as they seem. Jeremy Thatcher is plagued with all of the problems of a 12-year-old plus a few extra. He is pursued by Mary Lou Hutton, whom he detests, and is constantly put down by his art teacher for reasons he does not understand. One afternoon, in an effort to escape Mary Lou, Jeremy runs through alleys, side streets, and byways and finds himself in a part of town he has never seen before. He enters a small magic shop where he purchases a strange egg. A dragon that only Jeremy and Mary Lou can see enters the picture. The book is filled with scenes that will bring laughter and near tears to readers. Jeremy and his friends are believable characters; their actions and reactions are typical of the children's age. Once again, Coville offers a fantasy that younger readers can handle easily, and one in which dragons really exist for a little while. --Kenneth E. Kowen, Atascocita Middle School Library, Humble, TXCopyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher: A Magic Shop Book | [
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7,067 | 11 | PreSchool-Grade 2?This lovely book looks at how people from various countries carry their youngsters while going about their daily chores. Each double-page spread introduces a different culture from a child's point of view. Gouache paintings done in rich, deeply saturated colors appear opposite a page of simple text that explains a little bit about the people and their activities. The artwork conveys the action clearly and provides an appealing glimpse of each locale. At the end of the book, explanatory notes offer additional details. On the end papers, a map of the world shows the approximate location of the people depicted in the text. Young readers will notice the similarities among these diverse groups, not only in the ways babies are carried but also in some of the caregivers' chores. Use this book with Ann Morris's Bread, Bread, Bread (Lothrop, 1989), Edith Baer's This Is the Way We Go to School (Scholastic, 1992), Norah Dooley's Everybody Cooks Rice (Carolrhoda, 1991), or Nigel Gray's A Country Far Away (Orchard, 1989) to celebrate our multicultural world.?Linda Greengrass, Bank Street College Library, New York CityCopyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.Ages 5^-7. As her mother makes tortillas, a Guatemalan infant is rocked in a shawl tied around her mother's body. Riding in a sling balanced on his grandfather's hip, a young boy watches his father gather honey in the rain forest of central Africa. Bernhard maintains "we can learn about a culture by finding out how its people carry their babies," but in this book, how the children are carried seems of lesser importance then what they see from their unusual vantage points. Short, simple descriptions of the daily activities going on around the infants are accompanied by colorful, primitive-style gouache paintings depicting the landscape and the dress of the people. A section of notes, with background information and interesting tidbits about each culture, is appended. Lauren Peterson; Title: A Ride on Mother's Back: A Day of Baby Carrying around the World | [
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7,068 | 1 | BERNARD MOST has written and illustrated many popular children's books, including The Cow That Went OINK, If the Dinosaurs Came Back, How Big Were the Dinosaurs?, Whatever Happened to the Dinosaurs?, and Where to Look for a Dinosaur. He lives in New York.; Title: How Big Were the Dinosaurs? | [
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7,069 | 1 | Both text and art are elegantly spare in Young's (Lon Po Po) newest retelling of a Chinese folktale, which may be among the Caldecott Medalist's finest works. Sai, introduced as a wise man, loses his horse; when people arrive to comfort him, he tells them, "You know, it may not be such a bad thing." It proves, in fact, to be fortunate: the horse returns with a mare. Sai rejects his friends' congratulations ("Perhaps it is not such a good thing"), and he is right again (the mare throws Sai's son). This pattern continues, and by the end, Sai's son, like his father, "trust[s] in the ever changing fortunes of life." It's a relatively metaphysical lesson for a picture book, but Young's restrained and even suspenseful telling brings the message home warmly and appealingly. The illustrationsAsubtle collages with pastels and watercolorA eschew Young's often characteristic abstractions in favor of a delicate, slightly flattened style, reminiscent of traditional Chinese painting. Tranquil scenes of Sai's exchanges with his neighbors alternate with dramatic spreads (e.g., the dappled horse rearing, a lightning bolt in the sky behind it). As a bonus, three laminated, jointed paper figures of Sai, his son and the horse are tucked into a plastic sleeve on the back jacket. An author's note exhorts readers to use these figures to "extend the story beyond the limits of these pages." No doubt they will. Ages 5-8. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.Kindergarten-Grade 3?A wonderful elaboration on an ancient Chinese proverb and story dating from the Han Dynasty. The proverb, which can be translated, "A loss may turn out to be a gain," as well as the original story (though it appears here without the moral), are printed in Chinese characters at the beginning of the book. When a man's horse runs away, he refuses to see the event as a tragedy, just as he refuses to celebrate its return with a mare. Similarly, when his son is thrown from the mare's back and breaks his leg, the father does not consider this mishap as necessarily bad. His trust in the fortunes of life is rewarded when the son's injury prevents him from going to war, and thus saves him from possible death. Pastel and watercolor collages appear on two-page spreads and depict characters wearing attire authentic to their time and place. The tents and the predominantly brown scenery provide realistic glimpses into the stark landscape of the northern frontier. Striking close-up views show the son tumbling from his horse and families mourning their dead after battle. This story is an excellent springboard for a discussion of the changing nature of life. An added bonus is the three articulated puppets that will encourage storytellers to extend the story.?Marianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community-Technical College, CTCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: The Lost Horse: A Chinese Folktale | [
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7,070 | 7 | The titular topper of this rollicking, rhyming read-aloud is indeed magic: when it blows into town one day, it plops down on the head of resident after resident, instantly transforming each person into an animal. Each time the chapeau lands, Fox (Time for Bed) reprises the refrain, "Oh, the magic hat, the magic hat! It moved like this, it moved like that! It spun through the air!" At this point the author inserts a varying line (e.g., "Like a bounding balloon"; "For a mile and a half"), and a flip of the page reveals what animal the new hat-wearer becomes (in the above instances, a baboon and a giraffe). Kids will eagerly join in the guessing game, which Tusa's (Camilla's New Hairdo) fittingly silly, bustling ink-and-watercolor illustrations whip up into high-octane action. Her clever details add to the clues; for instance, a fruit-stand seller juggles bananas as the hat transforms him into a baboon. A supporting cast of animated children witness the zany goings-on, reacting gleefully to each transformation. These characters' unbridled enjoyment will almost certainly evoke the same response from readers. Ages 3-7. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.reschool-Grade 3--A whirling, magical hat sweeps into a bustling park, transforming each adult on whom it alights into a fun-loving animal. Rhymed verses add to the humor and allow listeners to predict what will follow as the page turns. A group of delighted children takes up the path of the hat's swirling confetti, until, at last, a large, but impish wizard appears. He restores the characters to their former selves and leaves a large, spotted egg that hatches, distracting the crowd as he turns to leave. But that's not the end. Donning the hat himself, the wizard becomes a high-spirited boy, framed by starlight, kicking up sparkles. Tusa's ink-and-watercolor images dance with life (even the flowers seem to be in motion); kinetic, double-page designs spill off the pages. Add this to your favorite headpiece storytime. Children will be bursting to participate.Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public LibraryCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: The Magic Hat | [
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7,071 | 2 | Swanson (Letter to the Lake) and Davenier (the Iris and Walter books) make much of a modest premise in this affectionate and inviting tale, in which a seven-year-old remembers the ways her family has celebrated her name. "Lucy," she tells us, was the first word her mother said to her. Her uncle painted her name on a stepstool. Her father made her pancakes in the shapes of the letters: "My name tasted wonderful," she remembers. In Davenier's (the Iris and Walter books) kinetic mixed-media drawing, Lucy stands over the table, looking on with fascination as her father eases a pancake "L" onto her plate. On the opposite page, she sits with her arms around her middle, jam smeared all over her cheeks, eyes closed, with a contented smile on her lips. On her seventh birthday, her family (now including a younger sister) celebrates with a birthday cake out on the porch, and Lucy's mother gives her a flashlight. In a final exuberant spread, Lucy uses the beam of light to write her name across the night sky. Davenier delights in the smears and scribbles Lucy and her sister leave behind. Calligraphic strokes across mirrors, shirts, playgrounds, etc., become signatures of the girls' discovery of the world around them. Like the lived-in look of the art, Swanson's simple, expressive language is just right for the story of a girl whose family adores her, and who grows securely within that love. Ages 3-7. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.reSchool-Grade 2-A pleasing departure from the trend toward books that deal with a child's dislike of his or her name, this title begins, "When I was born, the first thing my mama told me was my name." Lucy's name comes from a "long-ago word for light" and shines for her as a constant reminder of her uniqueness and special place in the world. It is iced on her first birthday cake, painted on the stool she uses to get a drink of water, and scribbled everywhere her three-year-old hand can reach. Lucy eats pancakes shaped like the letters of her name and later helps her baby sister finish eating the letters of hers. The story ends as the child receives a flashlight for her seventh birthday; she writes her name in light across the sky, and it goes "flying out into the big, starlit night." Davenier's pencil, ink, and pastel illustrations lend a timeless quality, and details in the pictures enhance the telling, from Lucy's name embroidered on her pom-pom cap to her dog licking plates of pancakes and birthday cake. The final spread of Lucy's name in the night sky is the only illustration in which color extends to the edges of the pages, filling them with her exuberance and contentment. This book could be well used as a cozy bedtime story or with a group of preschoolers taking the first important steps toward writing and celebrating their own names, and will make a welcome addition to most collections.Martha Link, Louisville Free Public Library, KYCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: The First Thing My Mama Told Me | [
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7,072 | 2 | This early chapter book gently reinforces the credo that "with freedom comes responsibility"--even in the middle of summer vacation. Lawrence and Brady love to spend their days riding and doing bicycle stunts. Luckily the boys have befriended the kindly Bicycle Man who fixes up the vehicles and loans them out to neighborhood children--as long as they follow the rules: "Sign a bike out and sign a bike in. And if it breaks while you have it, you fix it." But when a ragamuffin boy signs out the best bike under the name "Abrehemstet Lincoln" and doesn't return it, Lawrence and Brady aim to teach him some respect. Bunting's text is a bit short on action, though her characters' personalities shine. Her dialogue rings true, and she deftly sidesteps pedanticism in her handling of confrontations. Allen's sketchy pastels, rendered primarily in grays and browns, succeed on two levels: the muted tones give a true sense of a working garage and also amplify the gritty realities of underprivileged urban children alluded to in the text. Every neighborhood should have a Bicycle Man. Ages 6-10. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.Grade 1-4-- The Bicycle Man lends bicycles to the neighborhood kids with two rules: they must be returned by four o'clock, and if they break, the kids must fix them. Lawrence, the African-American narrator, and his friend Brady spend their summer days riding. When a new kid doesn't return a bike, the two friends find him and make him take it back. In the process, they discover that his toughness is just a mask for his need for adult attention, and that the Man cares more about kids than bicycles. This gentle, warm story, divided into chapters, has an understated message. The immediacy of the present-tense narration and the colloquial dialogue help to create the sense of freedom and space that is peculiar to summer. Allen's pastel drawings shimmer with the heat as they capture the energy and movement of the boys on their bikes. The numerous illustrations, generous amount of white space, and good-sized print make this a perfect choice for beginning chapter-book readers. --Susan Giffard, Englewood Public Library, NJCopyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.; Title: Summer Wheels | [
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7,073 | 11 | Pinkney (Silent Thunder) presents eloquent portraits of 10 intrepid African-American activists for the causes of abolition, women's rights and civil rights. Exploring these individuals' childhoods as well as their accomplishments as adults, the author smoothly distills biographical information so as to hold the attention of young readers. Her selection of subjects includes the prominent (Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks and Shirley Chisholm) as well as such lesser-knowns as Fannie Lou Hamer, an indefatigable campaigner for African-Americans' right to vote. Pinkney's writing is spiced with colloquialisms ("She didn't shy back for nobody," she says of Sojourner Truth) and useful imagery (describing this same crusader's delivery of her renowned "Ain't I a woman?" speech, the author notes, "She was the only black woman in the place, and when she stepped to the pulpit, some folks looked at her like she was a stain on their purest linens"). Featuring creatively skewed perspective and proportion, Alcorn's (I, Too, Sing America) oil paintings offer allegorical interpretations of his subjects' lives. Ages 8-up. (Sept.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.Grade 4-7-Engaging text and glorious art are combined in this collection of sketches celebrating the contributions of 10 women who moved forward the cause of civil rights in America. Following a preface that describes her own family roots in the civil rights movement and their influence on her, Pinkney presents her heroines chronologically, from Sojourner Truth to Shirley Chisholm, in verbal portraits that capture the subjects' spirit and personalities amid biographical highlights. Blending straightforward narrative with a lively storytelling style, the author balances the hardships and racial injustice that these women faced against their faith, strength of character, and determination. They include Harriet Tubman, Mary McLeod Bethune, and Rosa Parks, as well as Biddy Mason, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Ella Josephine Baker, Dorothy Irene Height, and Fannie Lou Hamer. The book includes many quotes, incidents, and details that lead readers down their personal paths to historical recognition. However, it is Alcorn's vibrant, inspired oil paintings that make this book a standout. A full-page stylized portrait appears opposite the first page of each story; it is filled with symbolic details that are elucidated in the text. A brilliant example is a larger-than-life Harriet Tubman balanced on one knee over a railroad track with arms diagonally outstretched, bridgelike, as tiny travelers make their way up the steep height toward the freedom star. Smaller paintings appear within the stories, carrying the message further. Line, color, and canvas texture give the pictures depth and dynamism, vastly enriching the reading experience. This excellent collection is a must for every library.Marie Orlando, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters | [
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7,074 | 0 | JACKIE FRENCH KOLLER is the award-winning author of numerous books for children. She lives in Westfield, Massachusets.  ; Title: The Primrose Way | [
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7,075 | 1 | GERALD MCDERMOTT (1941-2012) was an internationally acclaimed author-illustrator of books for children. A graduate of Pratt Institute in New York City and a lifelong artist, he began his career as an animated filmmaker before moving into the creation of children's books based on storytelling traditions from around the world. He was awarded the Caldecott Medal and two Caldecott Honors; his extensive and influential body of work includes six popular picture books focusing on the trickster motif. Devoted to oral tradition and the transformative power of mythology, he was the first Fellow of the Joseph Campbell Foundation and served as a consultant on mythology in education. www.geraldmcdermott.com ; Title: Zomo the Rabbit: A Trickster Tale from West Africa | [
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7,076 | 16 | PreSchool-Grade 2-A poetic text reflects on the month when "the earth is growing quiet." A friendly mouse draws readers into the book by peeking from under a leaf on the cover and title page, scurrying across the dedication page and onto the first spread, and then disappearing. Birds and animals experience the cold, which causes the cows to sleep and the horses to shiver; bees hibernate in "deep, earthy holes-And dogs lie before the fire." A large extended family visits and shares a meal to give thanks, then travels home at night. The well-paced, skillfully painted oil-on-paper paintings are mostly full spreads. Dramatic angles, strong composition, and interesting perspectives enhance the descriptive text. Although not as colorful and appealing as Lois Ehlert's Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf (Harcourt, 1991) or as funny and entertaining as Dav Pilkey's 'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving (Orchard, 1990), this book establishes the mood and feel of November. It is an agreeable storytime companion to the above titles, helpful for classrooms wishing to explore the month using their senses, and satisfying for one-on-one sharing.Debbie Stewart, Grand Rapids Public Library, MI Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.Ages 4-7. "In November, the earth is growing quiet. It is making its bed, a winter bed for flowers and small creatures. The bed is white and silent, and much life can hide beneath its blankets." Poetic language and lovely oil paintings evoke the traditional and seasonal activities that occur in November. Families gather around the table for a Thanksgiving feast, cats snuggle together in the corner of the barn, "staying birds" bid farewell to "leaving birds" beginning their long journeys. Rylant's words are simple but evocative and filled with wonderful sensory images, similes, and metaphors: the bare November trees are "all sticks and bones . . . spreading their arms like dancers." The smell of November food "is an orange smell. A squash and a pumpkin smell." The verbal images are splendidly captured in Kastner's soft-edged, double-spread paintings, which are rendered in a palette of warm autumn colors and sepia tones. The rich illustrations, done in a painterly style with obvious brushstrokes and texture built up from thick layers of oil paint, are a perfect match for the text. This handsome book is sure to become a new fall favorite. Lauren PetersonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: In November | [
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7,077 | 18 | The Pinkneys (Alvin Ailey; Seven Candles for Kwanzaa) continue their impressive collaboration with this memorable portrait of Benjamin Banneker, a free African American born in 1731. Lucid text and striking illustrations, rendered on scratchboard and colored with oil paint, shape a solid, sober tribute of a vigorous thinker, a self-taught mathematician and scientist, a man concerned with civil rights. This persevering man labored by day on his Maryland tobacco farm; by night he observed the sky and learned astronomy. Producing an almanac-something no African American had ever done-he tried in vain to find a publisher. In 1790, the president of the Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery helped him secure publication-but it was so late in the year that Banneker had to create an entirely new set of calculations. He recognized the irony of his achievement: while the almanac would be of use to many individuals and would demonstrate the abilities of black people, he realized that slaves themselves would never benefit from his book, since most were forbidden to learn to read or to have books. Banneker's frustration led him to write to Thomas Jefferson, then Secretary of State, pointing out the statesman's inconsistency in proclaiming that all men are created equal even as he owned slaves. Excerpts from the correspondence between the two men are woven into the narrative, deepening the poignancy of this moving story with the presence of historical weight. Ages 6-10. Children's BOMC featured selection. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.Grade 1-3-This look at the life and times of the 18th-century black scientist is accompanied by Brian Pinkney's full-page masterful and luminous scratchboard/ oil paintings. Andrea Pinkney provides a basic outline of her subject's youth and years as a tobacco farmer, his passion for learning and interest in astronomy, and his decision to write an almanac. She focuses the account on an exchange of letters in 1791, when Banneker sent a copy of his newly printed almanac to Thomas Jefferson, then U.S. Secretary of State, and chastised him for keeping slaves. The reply sounds like a polite brush-off, and Jefferson made no acknowledgement of the dichotomy between his Declaration of Independence and his ownership of slaves. The quoting of these letters in the prose of the time forces the inclusion of vocabulary and syntax several levels above that of the audience for which the book seems intended. Although the bare-bones details are here, he does not come alive; while the art is lovely, the text offers just a glimpse at this remarkable man's accomplishments. The author states that the publishing of Banneker's almanac "showed everybody that indeed all men are created equal." Since the almanac reached a limited audience, one wonders how many people at the time even knew who Banneker was, or about his ethnic background. Although the book is more accessible to younger readers than Jeri Ferris's What Are You Figuring Now? (Carolrhoda, 1988), it may not hold their attention.Martha Rosen, Edgewood School, Scarsdale, NYCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Dear Benjamin Banneker | [
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7,078 | 0 | Kindergarten-Grade 3-Tired of living alone, Mr. Putter finds himself a perfect pet at an animal shelter. It is an old yellow cat with creaking bones and thinning fur who seems to be "a little deaf." But after all, "Mr. Putter creaked, his hair was thinning and he was a little deaf, too." Rylant's charming story of two elderly characters is complemented and enhanced by Howard's delightful illustrations, done in pencil, watercolor, and gouache. Mr. Putter's senior status and the style of illustration are reminiscent of James Stevenson's pictures for Helen V. Griffith's Grandaddy's Place (Greenwillow, 1987). A finely crafted beginning reader.Gale W. Sherman, Pocatello Public Library, IDCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.Cynthia Rylant is a Newbery medalist and the author of many acclaimed books for young people. She's well known for her popular characters for early readers, including Mr. Putter & Tabby and Henry & Mudge. She lives in the Pacific Northwest. www.cynthiarylant.com.    ; Title: Mr. Putter & Tabby Pour the Tea | [
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7,079 | 11 | Grade 7 Up-- In December 1860, a 34-year-old woman, Naduah--kidnapped 25 years earlier by Comanche Indians--was ``rescued'' by sol diers and returned to the white family who recognized her as their niece/sister/cousin Cynthia Ann Parker. Where the Broken Heart Still Beats tells her story. Naduah-Cynthia Ann was a real person, and Meyer skillfully interweaves fact and fiction in her book, alter nating third-person reminiscences of Naduah's life among the Comanche with journal entries by her 12-year-old cousin, Lucy (the most sen sitive and understanding of the Parkers). The struggle between the two ways of life is long and, in the end, unsuccessful. Both points of view, the Parkers' frustration at Cynthia Ann's reluctance to be ``civilized'' and Naduah's long ing for her Indian family and customs, are pre sented believably and without editorializing. The setting, Texas at the beginning of the Civil War, is smoothly integrated into the story; the captivating characters are well drawn. Meyer includes a map, a bibliography, and an author's note in which she discusses her research and ties loose ends together. Unaccountably miss ing is the information that Naduah-Cynthia Ann's son, Chief Quanah Parker, later located his mother's brother Silas and lived with the family for a time. This omission aside, Where the Broken Heart Still Beats is a fascinating look at the Comanche and their captives and will be enjoyed by teens who like historical fic tion and/or are interested in Native Americans and the West. --Ann W. Moore, formerly at Lane Road Library, Columbus, OHCopyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Where the Broken Heart Still Beats: The Story of Cynthia Ann Parker (Great Episodes) | [
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7,080 | 0 | Miracles are always in the making at the Van Gogh Cafe in Flowers, Kans.: the small restaurant, housed in a renovated theater, has "magic enough to last forever in its walls." Readers will share the wonder of 10-year-old Clara and her father Marc, the cafe's owner, as they witness a series of serendipitous occurrences involving stranded sea gulls, aged film stars, magic muffins, lost pets and mysterious travelers. As effective as Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's charms at curing all manner of ills, the enchanted cafe instills faith and good will in its patrons. Newbery Medalist Rylant (Missing May) breaks new ground in producing this whimsical tale, dextrously weaving extraordinary events into the fabric of ordinary life. As she gently guides her characters toward their magnificent destinies, the strength of her imagination and the depth of her sensitivity will impress even the reluctant reader. Ages 8-12. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.Gr. 4^-6. With her usual mix of elegance and down-to-earthness, Rylant offers seven vignettes of life at the Van Gogh Cafe{}. Situated off I-70 in Flowers, Kansas, the cafe{}(formerly an old movie theater) is run by Marc and his 10-year-old daughter, Clara, who appreciate the magic that comes from the cafe{}'s very walls. A possum turns up (upside down, actually) and is responsible for a widower's finding new meaning for his life. An aged film star and the man he loved many years ago are reunited in death at the cafe{}. Rylant's works can be deceptively simple on the surface, but there are layers to probe here. Some children may not wish to; even with magic in the walls and Clara hovering about, there's an adult, occasionally indulgent, sensibility that also permeates. But others will enjoy the odd cast of characters and Rylant's ability to turn a phrase, which can be quite magical in its own right. Ilene Cooper; Title: The Van Gogh Cafe | [
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7,081 | 13 | Inan expertly polished picture book, Winter (Shaker Boy) tale submerges a counting lesson within a tour of a foreign country. The author/artist imagines a day in the life of Josefina Aguilar, a real-life Mexican folk artist who makes and sells painted clay figures in a small village. Winter's Josefina sculpts the figurines in groups ("windows and doors in three clay houses, to let the sun shine in"; "six babies for six mamas to hold," etc.), and the action builds toward a grand finale, with Josefina displaying her day's work as a deft count-down brings the story full circle. Readers will reinforce their command of numbers and get a taste of Mexican culture, too-all without a whiff of didacticism. As a writer, Winter has a finely tuned sense of control: as an artist, her style is unmistakable-earthy, stylized, and color-saturated, a study in daring but harmonious color combinations (pairings such as the deep plum costumes of a mariachi band set against a melon sunset fairly leap off the pages). Winter is a true original, and her latest work gives further proof of her talent. Ages 4-8. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.PreSchool-Grade 2?In simple words and charming pictures, Winter gives an outline of the life of Josefina Aguilar, a maker of pottery figures who lives in Ocotlan, Mexico. The author follows this narrative with a counting story describing Josefina's creation of a pottery world, beginning with one sun and going through increasing numbers of angels, houses, flower sellers, farmers, mamas and babies, mariachis, mourners, skeletons, and, finally, 10 stars. The acrylic paintings are drenched in the rich colors of Mexican folk art; they portray Josefina and her family as solid shapes much like her pottery figures. In the counting section, she is shown on the left-hand page shaping and painting the objects, while the finished creations are shown on the opposite page, with the numeral and a caption in Spanish as part of the border. The final accumulation is a double-page spread full of joyful and sorrowful figures, dancing skeletons, and a benign red sun looking on. It is obvious that Winter knows and loves Mexico, and this is a wonderful tribute to a woman artisan. No matter how many counting books a library owns, there should be a place for this one.?Pam Gosner, Maplewood Memorial Library, NJCopyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Josefina | [
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7,082 | 15 | No Bio; Title: Winter: Seasons Board Books | [
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7,083 | 2 | Grade 4-8-As with other titles in this nicely thought-out series, Krull whets readers' appetites with brief biographies of some amazing individuals. Most of these women will be familiar to students, but a few obscure figures are introduced. The writing tends toward gossip in places. (Isabella I of Spain reportedly took only two baths in her lifetime.) Like gossip, each chapter is enticing. A full-page caricature of the subject opens each chapter. The stories are arranged chronologically, beginning with Cleopatra, who reportedly spoke eight languages, and concluding with Guatemalan leader Rigoberta Mench#, who fights for native Indian rights. "Ever After" sections reveal aftereffects of each person's contribution to history. The gaps left by the absence of Margaret Thatcher and Benazir Bhutto are filled by the more obscure likes of Nzingha, Gertrude Bell, and Aung San Suu Kyi. Don Nardo's Women Leaders of Nations (Lucent, 1998) aptly complements Extraordinary Women. The jacket art offers evidence of the fun inside-Queen Victoria looks not amusedly at Marie Antoinette toying with her riches. Catherine holds an "I AM GREAT" sign. Joan of Arc chats with Eleanor of Aquitaine. And Cleopatra walks like an Egyptian. A captivating browsers' delight and a jumping-off point for report writers.Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.Gr. 5-8. Krull continues her Extraordinary Lives series, this time focusing on women in history from Cleopatra to modern-day powerhouses such as Burma's Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, and Rigoberta Menchu, the Guatemalan leader who drew the world's attention to Indian rights. It's much easier for Krull to maintain her usual sly wit when she's talking about Spain's Isabella I (who only bathed twice in her life) than about San Suu Kyi, who is a virtual prisoner in her home. Consequently, there's a slightly discordant tone to the text. It's Kathryn Hewitt's always intriguing, amusingly detailed, full-page caricatures that draw the compendium together. The range of subjects--from Joan of Arc and Nzingha, fierce leader of present-day Angola, to Golda Meir and Wilma Mankiller--is wide, but the two or so pages devoted to each individual contain only enough for short reports, and the information is sometimes vague (how, for instance, did Eleanor of Aquitaine manage to marry the king of the England after leaving the king of France only two months earlier?). Children who want to know more can look to the selected bibliography; there are no source notes. Ilene CooperCopyright American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: Lives of Extraordinary Women: Rulers, Rebels (and What the Neighbors Thought) | [
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7,084 | 1 | Text: Spanish (translation) Original Language: EnglishLOIS EHLERT has created many picture books, including Leaf Man, Pie in the Sky, In My World, Growing Vegetable Soup, Planting a Rainbow, and the bestselling Waiting for Wings. She lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.; Title: Plumas para almorzar | [
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7,085 | 2 | Four cozy stories lovingly chronicle the domestic adventures of Nigel Chipmunk and his friends, all of whom live on or around Thimbleberry Lane. Without heavy-handed moralizing, Rylant's (The Blue Hill Meadows) characters, all with their own appealing quirks and idiosyncrasies, accept and enjoy one another's differences. Nigel, an energetic housecleaner, breakfasts on dandelion scones with lavender tea; Copper, a butterfly, wears ornaments on her antennae; Claudius, a lazy garter snake, prefers paper plates to china; and Mudpuppy, a salamander, drinks health tonics. The characters appreciate their diversity. As Dipper, a hummingbird, says: "Oh, I've been living in poppy gardens too long. I've forgotten not all the world is hummingbirds. That is why I moved to Thimbleberry Lane: variety." Kneen's (Milly and Tilly: The Story of a Town Mouse and a Country Mouse) warm, cheerful illustrations complement the text with quaint settings reminiscent of Beatrix Potter's idyllic villages. For each story a different border runs along the top of the page: e.g., knickknacks for "Little Owl Redecorates" and lily pads for "Mudpuppy's Picnic." At times, both stories and pictures border on the cute and sentimental but fortunately, not enough to occlude the overall effect. Ages 5-8. (Apr.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.PreSchool-Grade 3-Rylant introduces delightful animal characters living in a small-town environment. Reminiscent of the work of Beatrix Potter and A. A. Milne, the stories imbue the animals with idiosyncratic behavior: Nigel Chipmunk is a homebody, Little Owl is a fussbudget, Copper the butterfly is flamboyant, Claudius the garter snake is indolent, and Mudpuppy the salamander is a perfectionist. Their behavior is very British; readers will find a great deal of tea drinking and tart eating on these pages. The stories themselves are sweet and contain messages on the meaning of friendship. The advanced vocabulary makes them better suited for sharing or storytimes than for beginning readers. Kneen's lovely, detailed soft-pastel illustrations emphasize the rural setting. Each chapter contains one lovely double-page spread and two half or full-page illustrations as well as delicate borders atop pages of solid text. A tasty treat.Barbara Buckley, Rockville Centre Public Library, NY Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Thimbleberry Stories (Thimbleberry Collection) | [
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7,086 | 2 | Rylant (the Little Whistle series) wisely explores a child's separation anxiety through her relationship with her doll. The author conveys the girl's bond with the doll, handmade for her by Grandmama ("It was ticky, her mother said, because Grandmama had made it from sewing scraps. And it was tacky because pieces of cloth hung from it like soft bits of hair"), through the rhythms of their day, their trips to town, a shared meal ("At the supper table the doll fit snugly on the little girl's lap, and its eyes could see what was for dinner"). Stevenson's (Bye, Mis' Lela) paintings cast a magic glow on the pair, inseparable in the opening spreads. He portrays the doll with a seam down the middle of her smiling face, X's for eyes and a mop of striped and polka-dotted fabric strips for hair. On the first day of school, when the girl must leave the doll at home, she withdraws completely: Stevenson shows her with head bowed at a table, markers and paper untouched. Only Grandmama knows what is wrong, and she comes up with an innovative solution. With the barest of statements, Rylant affirms the child's feelings and conveys the bond between child and grandparent ("Grandmama had lived a long time and knew about loneliness and missing someone," while the illustration shows a framed picture of her grandfather). Stevenson's artwork, with its layered, contrasting planes of blue and gold, resembles the loving patchwork of the doll itself. Ages 3-7. (Aug.) Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.PreSchool-A little girl worries about going to school for the first time and leaving her ticky-tacky doll that Grandmama made behind. The child is unable to eat or pay attention and her teachers and family are concerned. Only her observant grandmother is able to figure out what is wrong, and she devises the perfect solution: she sews a miniature version of the doll that fits into the corner of the little girl's book bag. The illustrations coordinate perfectly with the tale, and the muted colors reflect the youngster's sadness when she is without her companion. Similar to Kevin Henkes's Owen (Greenwillow, 1993), this story is likely to strike a chord with children who have beginning-school jitters.Sheilah Kosco, Rapides Parish Library, Alexandria, LACopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: The Ticky-Tacky Doll | [
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7,087 | 0 | Grade 1-3?Those rumpled old friends are back in two new books. In Fly the Plane, Mr. Putter, who still loves toys, realizes his dream of flight with the acquisition of a radio-controlled plane. Tabby is uncomfortable around this noisy new toy but hides her feelings when she sees how happy it makes him. Mr. Putter eventually decides to give his beloved possession to an eager child. Rylant tells her story with clear yet lyrical prose, but the tale itself is a slight one, burdened with too much sentiment and not enough humor. Row the Boat is much better and typical of the series's deft mix of gentle humor and old-fashioned sentiment. On a hot summer day, the two friends are wondering how to escape the sweltering heat. Mr. Putter decides to head for the pond and invites along their neighbors, Mrs. Teaberry and her dog, Zeke. They pack a picnic lunch, rent a rowboat, and end up having a wonderful time. When the walk home leaves them just as hot as before, Mrs. Teaberry knows just the trick to cool them down. This is vintage Mr. Putter and Tabby: simple escapades enlivened by the conviviality of their warm friendship. Howard's colorful cartoons capture all of the fun and the expressions on the faces of the animals and the humans.?Marilyn Taniguchi, Santa Monica Public Library, CACopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Mr. Putter & Tabby Fly the Plane | [
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7,088 | 16 | This simple yet thoroughly delightful counting book, first published in Great Britain, is guaranteed to tickle your fancy. Kipper, an endearing beagle-like dog, introduces youngsters to two hedgehogs, three hamsters, four hens. you get the idea. The placement of the animals on the double-page spreads makes it fun--but not too challenging--to count them. Mick Inkpen's playful, whimsical drawings make Kipper's Book of Numbers stand out from the acres of early counting books. (Picture book)PreSchool-K?Lovable Kipper is back, this time in four concept books. The beauty of these titles is in their simplicity?bright primary colors and simple forms make them very appealing. In Colors, the brown-and-white dog flies a blue kite and eats red strawberries. In Numbers, he feeds four hens and digs holes with six moles. Opposites captures the happy-faced pup with a big balloon and his sad expression when it pops. Weather shows him basking in the sun and splashing in the rain. The lively watercolor illustrations lend themselves to simple one-on-one interaction or to use in toddler story hour. While concept books abound, Inkpen's engaging character and clear, clean presentations make these charming offerings stand above the crowd.?Helen Rosenberg, Chicago Public Library, ILCopyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Kipper's Book of Numbers: Kipper Concept Books | [
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7,089 | 15 | Text: Spanish (translation) Original Language: English; Title: A sembrar sopa de verduras | [
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7,090 | 11 | Ages 5^-9. The author of The Great Kapok Tree (1990) takes us back to the Amazon rain forest, this time teaming up with ethnobotanist Plotkin. Together, they present a story in which a lesson about medicinal herbs is brought to life through young Kamanya, who dreams of becoming his tribe's next shaman. Kamanya spends his time following the current shaman into the forest and learning the secrets of the plants. But local plants can't cure the new diseases brought to the area by strangers, and the pills the strangers bring with them cause the indigenous people to lose faith in the ability of their shaman. Eventually a woman named Gabriella, who comes to study the properties of the rain forest plants, restores the tribe's faith. The lush illustrations make the story a visual pleasure. Even the endpapers are rich in detail, picturing some of the rain forest plants and noting their uses. Like other books Cherry has worked on, this one, which is based on a true story, is a unusual addition to rain forest literature. It will be useful not only for story hours but also as a springboard for classroom discussion for older children as well as younger ones. Helen RosenbergLYNNE CHERRY has devoted her life to sharing her concern about environmental issues with others. Her important children's books also include The Armadillo from Amarillo and two tales from the Amazon rain forest: The Great Kapok Tree and The Shaman's Apprentice. She lives in Washington, D.C.; Title: The Shaman's Apprentice: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest | [
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7,091 | 0 | A girl bakes her mother an out-of-this-world birthday cake; "Willard's prose is both lyrical and conversational, and the story is one of the most human and touching she has written," said PW, adding that Watson's illustrations "add an extra touch of magic and mystery." Ages 6-up. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: The High Rise Glorious Skittle Skat Roarious Sky Pie Angel Food Cake | [
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7,092 | 20 | Working in the tradition of midrashim, or explorations of biblical texts, through the use of imagination and story, Lester (What a Truly Cool World) crafts a humorous, deeply personal and irreverent interpretation of the book of Genesis. His tales attempt to answer some of the questions unanswered by the biblical textAWhy did God stop what He was doing to create the world? How did the angels feel about it? Just why did that Snake tempt Woman to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil?Ain order to lead readers "into a new experience of the Divine." The quotations from Genesis that open many of the 17 chapters (translated from the Hebrew by Lester) provide a framework from which the author riffs and improvises with abandon, throwing in a few pourquoi tales, an epic battle, God's ruminations about the process of creation and a lot of colloquial language and imagery (references to the Internet, business trips and peanut butter, to name just a few)Acreating a delicious pastiche of retelling in the process. Lisker's folk-art oil paintings (one per chapter) lack the humor of Lester's text, highlighting instead the abstract and, in the case of her depiction of Adam and Chavah, the sensual aspects of the tales. Although Lester's portrait of God as polymorphous and not always all-knowing may offend some, those readers able to adopt his attitude of playful engagement with the sacred will find much to entertain, much to amuse and much to challenge them in their thinking about faith and God. Ages 10-up. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.Grade 4-8-The continuing practice of midrash Aggadah-unrestrained narrative reflection on canonical Torah-is evidence of a living faith. Fundamentalist Christians may well be shocked by the liberties Lester takes with the God of Genesis: at various times he/she is black, female, embarrassed, uncertain, and wrong. But the point of these surprises is to make readers think afresh about the familiar stories. The reworkings stress the importance of gratitude for what we have, the role of error in the divine plan, the playfulness of creativity, the universality of human weakness, and the limitlessness of divine love. Adam's first mate, Lilith (the woman God makes from clay, in Genesis B), walks out when Adam refuses to compromise; God decides that women will have to be smarter than men. Elements from Jewish lore-the Re'em, Shamir, Ziz, Tehom, the importance of Torah-coexist with an angel called Moe the Angel of Bagels (but the cuteness quotient is tolerable). Satan is distinct from the Edenic Snake. The chapters on the Fall by themselves are worth the price of admission. In keeping with Jewish tradition, sin does not lie in disobedience but in the failure to accept responsibility; sexuality is a divine gift, a consolation for exile. In these later chapters, Lester's midrash is especially rich and thought-provoking. Lisker provides a full-page oil painting to accompany each entry; her images are as inventive and vibrant as the stories she illustrates. The source notes and bibliography are helpful.Patricia Lothrop-Green, St. George's School, Newport, RI Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: When the Beginning Began: Stories about God, the Creatures, and Us | [
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7,093 | 1 | The author and illustrator Nancy Coffelt loves dogs, and pugs are some of her favorites! She and her two dogs meet up with them on walks and in the park and, yes, have even seen them traveling down the highway in big rigs. Nancy spends her time in Portland, Oregon, having fun with her family, writing books, creating bright oil-pastel artwork for galleries, and, of course, drawing pugs.; Title: Dogs in Space | [
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7,094 | 0 | Grade 1-3?Those rumpled old friends are back in two new books. In Fly the Plane, Mr. Putter, who still loves toys, realizes his dream of flight with the acquisition of a radio-controlled plane. Tabby is uncomfortable around this noisy new toy but hides her feelings when she sees how happy it makes him. Mr. Putter eventually decides to give his beloved possession to an eager child. Rylant tells her story with clear yet lyrical prose, but the tale itself is a slight one, burdened with too much sentiment and not enough humor. Row the Boat is much better and typical of the series's deft mix of gentle humor and old-fashioned sentiment. On a hot summer day, the two friends are wondering how to escape the sweltering heat. Mr. Putter decides to head for the pond and invites along their neighbors, Mrs. Teaberry and her dog, Zeke. They pack a picnic lunch, rent a rowboat, and end up having a wonderful time. When the walk home leaves them just as hot as before, Mrs. Teaberry knows just the trick to cool them down. This is vintage Mr. Putter and Tabby: simple escapades enlivened by the conviviality of their warm friendship. Howard's colorful cartoons capture all of the fun and the expressions on the faces of the animals and the humans.?Marilyn Taniguchi, Santa Monica Public Library, CACopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Mr. Putter & Tabby Row the Boat | [
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7,095 | 1 | Toytown's favorite guinea pig returns in Little Whistle's Dinner Party by Cynthia Rylant, illus. by Tim Bowers, to host a midnight supper. He searches high and low for food and supplies, but when his friends finally arrive, Little Whistle is nowhere in sight. Bowers's sly perspectives bring the characters to life. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.Ages 3-5. Little Whistle [BKL F 15 01] introduced the guinea pig who lives in Toyland--a store filled with toys that come alive at night to run, play, and have tea parties. This follow-up revisits many of the same characters, and even the same activities, except this time Little Whistle corrals his friends for a dinner party instead of for tea. As with the first title, the story is weak, especially since this is the characters' second go-round. The illustrations, however, are lovely. Children, particularly those with a penchant for dollhouses and miniatures, will linger over the sturdy, detailed paintings that gleam with a menagerie of slightly old-fashioned toys; and Little Whistle himself will charm children with his floppy pea coat and bustling amiability. Gillian EngbergCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: Little Whistle's Dinner Party | [
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7,096 | 2 | Starring in his third volume, the titular guinea pig turns health-care practitioner and storytime savior in Little Whistle's Medicine by Cynthia Rylant, illus. by Tim Bowers. Little Whistle, happily anticipating Soldier's nightly ritual of a bedtime story for the Toytown babies, springs into action when he finds that Soldier is not well. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.reschool-Grade 2--Here he is again, the likable guinea pig that lives in a store called Toytown. During the day, he sleeps. Each night, he wakes up, puts on his pea coat, and sets out on a new adventure. Tonight, Little Whistle discovers that his friend, a wooden toy soldier, has bumped his head and is not feeling well enough to read to the baby dolls. Little Whistle volunteers to help Soldier, proclaiming, "there has to be something for sore heads in Toytown. I will find something to make you feel better." Bear offers a hat, and Violet the china doll sings a lullaby. In the end, though, it is the kind mother doll that has the answer, because "Mothers, of course, always know what to do for sore heads." The easy language and short sentences make this adventure accessible to young readers. Bowers's oil-on-canvas illustrations are realistically rendered in warm tones, and the characters are expressive without compromising this realism. While the book won't jump off the shelves, it is an enjoyable tale.Heather E. Miller, Homewood Public Library, ALCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: Little Whistle's Medicine | [
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7,097 | 0 | PreSchool-When a rooster tries to wake up everyone on the farm, he finds he has lost his voice and can only whisper. Pigs, cows, ducks, and the farmer sleep on, until the cow offers to help. When she finally masters a "COCK-A-DOODLE-MOO," everyone awakens with a laugh. This is such a jolly way to start the day that the cow teaches the rooster "COCK-A-DOODLE-MOO" as well. Bold cartoon illustrations in colored markers carry out the cheery mood of this pleasing story.Sally R. Dow, Ossining Public Library, NYCopyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.Ages 3^-6. When the rooster loses his voice and can only give a tiny cock-a-doodle-do, all the farm animals and even the farmer sleep on. At last, the cow opens her eyes and sees the rooster's predicament. The two team up, but it takes a while to work out the wrinkles of their collaboration. The cow tries yelling "mock-a-moodle-mood and "sock-a-noodle-noo," and finally, under the insistent rooster's tutelage, comes out with "cock-a-doodle-moo." That's close enough to wake up the farm with a laugh. In a nice twist, once the rooster gets his voice back, he and the cow continue working the a.m. shift, with the rooster providing the cock-a-doodles and the cow the moos. Most knows what kids like, and that's as true here as in his many other books for children. Both text and art are full of clever details. Children will especially enjoy all the brightly colored creatures and the way the animals' sounds are delivered in cartoon-style balloons. Lots of fun for little ones, individually or in groups. Ilene Cooper; Title: Cock-A-Doodle-Moo | [
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7,098 | 1 | The title character of this inaugural volume in a new series set in Toytown exerts a great deal of visual charm. Like Paddington, Bowers's (Sometimes I Wonder If Poodles Like Noodles) hero sports a blue coat and an irresistible hat, and will likely appeal to any child looking for a furry friend. The story, however, is old-fashioned and a bit staid. Although Little Whistle is a "real" guinea pig who lives in a cage in a toy store, Rylant (Mr. Putter and Tabby) uses the old toys-who-come-alive-at-night scenario to create his companions. Much of the virtually plotless tale serves to introduce characters that will appear in subsequent books: "There was Lion, who loved vanilla cookies.... There was Rabbit, who always wanted to run.... There was Bear, who liked hats," etc. Somewhat treacly observations dot the narrative ("Toytown was the sweetest and kindest place in the world for a small guinea pig to live"; Whistle doesn't mind when his friends are purchased, because he knows that "toys love being sold to children who care for them"), but perhaps the plot will thicken in subsequent episodes. In the meantime, Bowers's illustrations are refreshingly lighthearted and full of character, and his toys hark back to an era of handcrafting and imaginative play. The diminutive Little Whistle will endear himself to readers, whether he is blowing a trumpet or reading a book, and his black, shiny eyes look ever ready for a new adventure. Ages 3-7. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.PreS-Gr 1-This first offering in a new series introduces a guinea pig that lives in a toy store. During the day, he sleeps in his cage. At night, however, when Toytown is closed, Little Whistle ventures out and looks for adventure. When no one is around, all of the toys come to life and have a wonderful time. The guinea pig doesn't mind when any of his friends are sold, because he knows that they love to be taken home by children. This book has a nostalgic ambience. In the store, there are dolls having a tea party, marbles, jacks, checkers, stuffed animals, wooden toys, but nothing electronic and certainly no Barbie. The language also has an old-fashioned quality: "-it made a very dashing wardrobe!" The artwork, oil paint on canvas, is outstanding. The use of color and shadow brings the toys to life and the pictures reinforce the old-time feeling. Each toy is unique and expressive and Little Whistle is chubby and cuddly. The story is sweet but rather uneventful.-Marlene Gawron, Orange County Library, Orlando, FLCopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: Little Whistle | [
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7,099 | 16 | Chris Demarest has been writing and illustrating children’s books for three decades. His Firefighters A to Z was chosen as a NY Times Best Book in 2000.  He is an official artist of the U.S. Coast Guard, traveling as far as the Persian Gulf to document their work. Now, travelling with his art exhibition "WWII Journey," life is the open road.  ; Title: Fall: Seasons Board Books | [
7082,
8681,
9785,
13367,
18431,
45491,
47738,
51616,
54480,
56992,
68467
] | Train |
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