STEAMBOAT ANNIE AND THE THOUSAND-POUND CATFISH

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STEAMBOAT ANNIE AND THE THOUSAND-POUND CATFISH

Name: STEAMBOAT ANNIE AND THE THOUSAND-POUND CATFISH
Author: Catherine Wright
ISBN: 0-399-23331-8

by Catherine Wright & illustrated by Howard Fine ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2001

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Ill-tempered, big as a bus, and just not a music lover, Ernie the catfish comes down like a hammer on the tune-loving Ohio River town of Pleasant, chomping on Cherry’s ferry, Tom Sawyer’s raft, Doc’s dock, and even the local church. And who’s to stop him? None other than Steamboat Annie (not to be confused with Tugboat Annie, though come to think of it, not all that different), fresh from beating archrival Jefferson Johnson in a mayoral race, the anchor throw, and even arm wrestling. Wright debuts with a high, wide, supremely tall tale, trippingly related and illustrated with Fine’s funniest pictures since Piggie Pie (1995). The opening scene, in which the fine folk of Pleasant, along with their children, livestock, and even the pale Moon in the sky, are all seen bellowing out operatically, is alone worth the price of admission. But the battle between Annie, a barefooted, red-haired Carol Burnett look-alike, and the slimy, whiskered leviathan will bring readers out of their seats. A showstopper. (Picture book. 7-9)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001

ISBN: 0-399-23331-8

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Philomel

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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RIVER STORY

by Meredith Hooper & illustrated by Bee Willey ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2000

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Trickling, bubbling, swirling, rushing, a river flows down from its mountain beginnings, past peaceful country and bustling city on its way to the sea. Hooper (The Drop in My Drink, 1998, etc.) artfully evokes the water’s changing character as it transforms from “milky-cold / rattling-bold” to a wide, slow “sliding past mudflats / looping through marshes” to the end of its journey. Willey, best known for illustrating Geraldine McCaughrean’s spectacular folk-tale collections, contributes finely detailed scenes crafted in shimmering, intricate blues and greens, capturing mountain’s chill, the bucolic serenity of passing pastures, and a sense of mystery in the water’s shadowy depths. Though Hooper refers to “the cans and cartons / and bits of old wood” being swept along, there’s no direct conservation agenda here (for that, see Debby Atwell’s River, 1999), just appreciation for the river’s beauty and being. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)

Pub Date: June 1, 2000

ISBN: 0-7636-0792-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2000

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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CELEBRITY CAT
by Meredith Hooper & illustrated by Bee Willey

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GOLD QUEST
by Meredith Hooper & illustrated by Stephen Biesty

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STEPHEN BIESTY’S CASTLES
by Meredith Hooper & illustrated by Stephen Biesty

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BOOKMARKS ARE PEOPLE TOO!

From the Here's Hank series , Vol. 1

by Henry Winkler ; Lin Oliver ; illustrated by Scott Garrett ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 14, 2014

An uncomplicated opener, with some funny bits and a clear but not heavy agenda.

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Hank Zipzer, poster boy for dyslexic middle graders everywhere, stars in a new prequel series highlighting second-grade trials and triumphs.

Hank’s hopes of playing Aqua Fly, a comic-book character, in the upcoming class play founder when, despite plenty of coaching and preparation, he freezes up during tryouts. He is not particularly comforted when his sympathetic teacher adds a nonspeaking role as a bookmark to the play just for him. Following the pattern laid down in his previous appearances as an older child, he gets plenty of help and support from understanding friends (including Ashley Wong, a new apartment-house neighbor). He even manages to turn lemons into lemonade with a quick bit of improv when Nick “the Tick” McKelty, the sneering classmate who took his preferred role, blanks on his lines during the performance. As the aforementioned bully not only chokes in the clutch and gets a demeaning nickname, but is fat, boastful and eats like a pig, the authors’ sensitivity is rather one-sided. Still, Hank has a winning way of bouncing back from adversity, and like the frequent black-and-white line-and-wash drawings, the typeface is designed with easy legibility in mind.

An uncomplicated opener, with some funny bits and a clear but not heavy agenda. (Fiction. 7-9)