A baker's dozen of lightly lyrical poems in a cycle of months summed up in a final entry: ``January's a polar bear;/February's a mole....'' Though he offers few epiphanies, Lewis's descriptions are vivid, his images are fresh and appealing, and he makes deft use of a variety of rhyme schemes and verse forms, including a lovely haiku for August: ``At bedtime, outside/my room...nighthawk and trainsong/on the wind's guitar.'' Hall's stylized art, in a rainbow of yummy hues as bright as Italian ices, makes this useful offering especially attractive. (Poetry/Picture book. 6-10)
Pub Date: April 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-689-31813-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1994
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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What’s up with Miss Daisy? She can’t spell, doesn’t understand math, and cannot read or write. If it were up to her, the second-graders in her charge would have recess all day. A.J. doesn’t like school—he thinks it’s a “dumb thing that grown-ups thought up so they wouldn’t have to pay for baby-sitters.” In the tradition of Sachar, Pilkey, Pinkerton, and Scieszka, Gutman makes a splash with his new series for the just-ready-for-chapter-books readers. When Miss Daisy can’t understand multiplication, her helpful class explains it. When she can’t spell a word, her students teach her. Cartoon illustrations, ample white space, and a generous font make this inviting for the newest readers. And once they accept the invitation, they will read and share the silly situations with each other. Best of all, the second in the series (Mr. Klutz Is Nuts) has a simultaneous publication, so their enthusiasm will instantly be rewarded. A sure-fire hit for the most reluctant reader. (Fiction. 6-10)
Pub Date: July 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-06-050700-4
Page Count: 96
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2004
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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A Cinderella parody features the off-the-wall, whang-dang Texas hyperbole of Ketteman (The Year of No More Corn, 1993, etc.) and the insouciance of Warhola, who proves himself only too capable of creating a fairy godcow; that she's so appealingly whimsical makes it easy to accept the classic tale's inversions. The protagonist is Bubba, appropriately downtrodden and overworked by his wicked stepdaddy and loathsome brothers Dwayne and Milton, who spend their days bossing him around. The other half of the happy couple is Miz Lurleen, who owns ``the biggest spread west of the Brazos.'' She craves male companionship to help her work the place, ``and it wouldn't hurt if he was cute as a cow's ear, either.'' There are no surprises in this version except in the hilarious way the premise plays itself out and in Warhola's delightful visual surprises. When Lurleen tracks the bootless Bubba down, ``Dwayne and Milton and their wicked daddy threw chicken fits.'' Bubba and babe, hair as big as a Texas sun, ride off to a life of happy ranching, and readers will be proud to have been along for the courtship. (Picture book/folklore. 6-8)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-590-25506-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1997
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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