Jeppson (Here Comes Pontus, not reviewed) attempts to create a story as she educates young readers about horses, their equipment, and breeds. Told in a series of journal entries it comes from Pontus the pony’s point of view. This frisky young horse takes the reader into the pasture, where he begins his seasonal routine. Summer is coming to an end, and Pontus is feeling melancholy about his inevitable confinement. However, soon after, he’s brought inside the stable and the reader follows him through winter as he shares thoughts and feelings about his care. Jeppson places emphasis on the do’s and don’ts of horsemanship, but trying to mask the lesson behind the story fails to work here. The text is choppy and dry and the inconsistencies are obvious with the all-knowing horse that understands the terms pitch-black and cousin, but doesn’t know the words “hair” or “television.” Young readers interested in learning about horses and horseback riding could best use this piece as a beginner’s reference guide, but the story itself is lacking. Kruusval’s (By Geezers and Galoshes, p. 104, etc.) paintings give children a real view into a horse’s way of life. Her cartoon-like art easily grabs the attention of readers and works well with the corresponding definitions. However, although they are educational, definitions and illustrations of horseback riding equipment, breeds, markings, and colorings are randomly placed on pages in an arrangement that is less than pleasing to the eye. A weak story that could have been a great addition to the numerous facts collected within. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2001
ISBN: 91-29-65393-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: R&S/Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2001
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The lifecycle of the frog is succinctly summarized in this easy reader for children reading at the late first-grade level. In just one or two sentences per page, Vern details the amazing metamorphosis of the frog from egg to tadpole to adult, even injecting a little humor despite the tight word count. (“Watch out fly! Mmmm!) Large, full-color photographs on white backgrounds clearly illustrate each phase of development. Without any mention of laying eggs or fertilization, the title might be a bit misleading, but the development from black dot egg to full-grown frog is fascinating. A simple chart of the three main lifecycle steps is also included. Lifecycles are part of the standard curriculum in the early elementary grades, and this will be a welcome addition to school and public libraries, both for its informational value and as an easy reader. (Nonfiction/easy reader. 5-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-15-216304-2
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Green Light/Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2001
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