Second-grader Josie, with a new baby sibling, finds out that her parents are having financial troubles; she wants to help by coming up with an idea so “wonderful, fabulous, terrific” that it will not only solve their problems, but prove once and for all that she’s a more helpful girl than her cousin and rival, Mary Jane. And Josie doesn’t lack for ideas. In quick succession she plants a vegetable garden so that her folks won’t have to spend money on greens, writes a bogus letter of complaint in an effort to get free goods, and attempts to win a contest for a baby stroller. In this gently humorous tale from Singer (Stay True, 1998, etc.), all Josie’s efforts backfire. She ruins her mother’s flower garden by mistaking tulip bulbs for onions, gets chided for dishonesty when a diaper company responds to her fraudulent letter by sending her a truckload of disposables, and loses the stroller contest. The story culminates in a satisfying fashion; Josie learns several predictable but important life lessons. It’s sweet and smooth, with the rivalry between Josie and Mary Jane spicing up the plot. (Fiction book. 6-9)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-590-76339-3
Page Count: 92
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1999
Categories: GENERAL FICTION
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This vibrant, thoughtful book from Katz (Over the Moon, 1997) continues her tribute to her adopted daughter, Lena, born in Guatemala. Lena is “seven. I am the color of cinnamon. Mom says she could eat me up”; she learns during a painting lesson that to get the color brown, she will have to “mix red, yellow, black, and white paints.” They go for a walk to observe the many shades of brown: they see Sonia, who is the color of creamy peanut butter; Isabella, who is chocolate brown; Lucy, both peachy and tan; Jo-Jin, the color of honey; Kyle, “like leaves in fall”; Mr. Pellegrino, the color of pizza crust, golden brown. Lena realizes that every shade is beautiful, then mixes her paints accordingly for portraits of her friends—“The colors of us!” Bold illustrations celebrate diversity with a child’s open-hearted sensibility and a mother’s love. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8050-5864-8
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
Categories: GENERAL FICTION
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The way-off-road vehicle (The Magic School Bus and the Electric Field, 1997, etc.) tours the ears, eyes, nose, and skin when the assistant principal, Mr. Wilde, accidentally shrinks the school bus and the children on board, commandeering it to deliver a message to Ms. Frizzle. The vehicle plunges into the eye of a police officer, where the students explore the pupil, the cornea, the retina, and the optic nerve leading to the brain. Then it’s on to other senses, via the ear of a small child, the nose of a dog, and the tongue of the Friz herself. Sidebars and captions add to the blizzard of information here; with a combination of plot, details, and jokes, the trip is anything but dull. The facts will certainly entice readers to learn more about the ways living creatures perceive the world. (Picture book. 6-9)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-590-44697-5
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1999
Categories: GENERAL FICTION
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