Transportation in its many varied forms is the theme of this song collection with an accompanying CD. The words to the 23 songs are set as illustrated poetry in an oversized format with huge illustrations of children who seem ready to fly, skate, or ride right off the pages. Kirk (Bus Stop, Bus Go, p. 742, etc.) sings most of the songs on the CD, and he wrote most of the words and music for the original songs as well. The collection also includes a few familiar songs set to fresh rhythms (“I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” in a blues arrangement and “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” with a calypso beat). Some of the songs are about traditional types of transportation (trains and taxicabs), others are about methods of personal locomotion (a motorized wheelchair, a pogo stick), and still more songs explore popular trends such as Rollerblades, skateboards, and minivans. Kirk’s vibrant, motion-filled illustrations are done in several styles, including clay sculpture and collage, with intriguing wheel-covered endpapers. Some of the lyrics don’t really stand up as poetry, and a title page and the musical scores for the songs would have been welcome additions, but the catchy songs override these minor objections. Preschool and primary grade teachers will still find this a useful set for the classroom, and the CD (ending with “Sleeping in the Back Seat”) is a natural for long car trips. (Picture book/poetry. 3-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-7868-0305-3
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
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