Packed with vibrant photos and solid information, this work delivers an enthralling introduction to ballooning for kids.
In this nonfiction book for children ages 6 and up, photographs depict the colors, shapes, gear, pilots, and crews of hot air balloons.
The Pechters (What’s in the Deep?: An Underwater Adventure for Children, 1991), photojournalists who have also covered the undersea world, turn to the air in this volume. Documenting every step along the way with many vivid photos, the book explains everything about hot air ballooning for kids, beginning with the system and its parts (envelope, basket or gondola, and burner, together with gear and instruments); readying the ground; safety checks; inflating the balloon; piloting difficulties; safety issues; landing; and packing back up. Readers learn details, such as the best times to fly and the importance of a chase crew, plus odd facts: “The average balloon is as tall as a 7-story building.” The authors nicely convey the excitement of ballooning for spectators, as the envelopes slowly fill and the baskets at last begin to rise, as well as fans’ enthusiasm for the sport: “At the balloon field, people collect pins, badges, balloon cards, and autographs of the pilots and officials. It is always fun to start or add to your own collection.” Tips on taking better photos of balloons are included as well as information on becoming a pilot. The Pechters’ gorgeous photos of huge, brightly colored balloons, sometimes en masse like a giant party in the sky, are greatly appealing. Some balloon photography focuses almost entirely on the striking envelopes, typically a shot of a lone specimen against an empty landscape. In contrast, the Pechters’ photos tell the whole story, showing how many people are actually involved in getting balloons safely off the ground and back down, plus the subculture of fans and onlookers. Though they certainly get across the magic of hot air ballooning, the authors also provide plenty of practical tidbits (“It could cost $35,000 or more to buy your own new balloon”) and reminders about safety (“the balloon should not land on a highway, home, or in a business area”).
Packed with vibrant photos and solid information, this work delivers an enthralling introduction to ballooning for kids.Pub Date: Feb. 20, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-930536-99-9
Page Count: 72
Publisher: Best Publishing Company
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Simple, bella, un regalo permenente: simple and beautiful, a gift that will stay.
Renowned Latin American writer Alvarez has created another story about cultural identity, but this time the primary character is 11-year-old Miguel Guzmán.
When Tía Lola arrives to help the family, Miguel and his hermana, Juanita, have just moved from New York City to Vermont with their recently divorced mother. The last thing Miguel wants, as he's trying to fit into a predominantly white community, is a flamboyant aunt who doesn't speak a word of English. Tía Lola, however, knows a language that defies words; she quickly charms and befriends all the neighbors. She can also cook exotic food, dance (anywhere, anytime), plan fun parties, and tell enchanting stories. Eventually, Tía Lola and the children swap English and Spanish ejercicios, but the true lesson is "mutual understanding." Peppered with Spanish words and phrases, Alvarez makes the reader as much a part of the "language" lessons as the characters. This story seamlessly weaves two culturaswhile letting each remain intact, just as Miguel is learning to do with his own life. Like all good stories, this one incorporates a lesson just subtle enough that readers will forget they're being taught, but in the end will understand themselves, and others, a little better, regardless of la lengua nativa—the mother tongue.
Simple, bella, un regalo permenente: simple and beautiful, a gift that will stay. (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-375-80215-0
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
For the 90's, a handsome, well-documented collection of stories about nine uniquely American characters. In her intelligent introduction, Osborne explains their genesis ``from various combinations of historical fact, the storytelling of ordinary people, and the imagination of professional writers'' and notes that changing times put a new light on stories deriding various groups (including women and even animals). Thus her intention is to emphasize ``gargantuan physical courage and absurd humor'' and to ``bring out the vulnerable and compassionate side'' despite the stories' ``ineradicable taint of violence.'' Osborne succeeds pretty well in her intention, piecing together stories that make fine introductions to characters like Mose and Stormalong. Her approach suits Johnny Appleseed and John Henry better than it does Davy Crockett battling a panther, but she does manage to put a new slant on Pecos Bill and his bouncing bride without undermining the story (there's no question of a wife's disobedience here; Sue wants to ride Bill's horse as a test of skill). The telling is more polished than lively—Glen Rounds's irrepressible wit (Ol' Paul, the Mighty Logger, 1949) is more fun, but these versions are perfectly acceptable. McCurdy's vigorous wood engravings, tinted with lucid color, contribute a rugged frontier flavor; lively, though a bit formal in style, they suit the text admirably. Each story is introduced by source notes; a story-by-story bibliography provides a good roundup of this popular genre. (Folklore. 6-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1991
ISBN: 0-679-80089-1
Page Count: 116
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1991
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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