Sweet and informative; of special interest to young fish lovers.
This illustrated children’s book explains how Grandpa came to love fish and care for them in a backyard pond.
As the story’s young narrator explains, her favorite baby toy was a monkey that dangled overhead. When she’d pull on its feet, her monkey would say “Bonga Bonga,” and that became the girl’s nickname. Bonga Bonga tells her grandfather’s tale as she’s heard it from him. Growing up in Jamaica, he liked to keep glass jars and aquariums filled with fish. By the time he was 10 years old, they became too numerous to keep inside, so he built several backyard ponds, one for each type of fish. He also solved several problems, such as how to protect his pets from dragonfly nymphs and a fish-eating neighbor cat. After finishing his university studies, he moved to West Vancouver, Canada, where Bonga Bonga now lives. There, he built a large pond in his backyard in the shape of Jamaica, but instead of warm-water tropical fish, he had to stock hardier goldfish. He made his own fish food and put up a bird feeder. There were some sad moments, as when raccoons and herons ate all 72 goldfish, but later Bonga Bonga’s grandfather installed a lighted fountain that scared predators away. “Then my grandpa and me bought some more goldfish. And we were very happy once again,” concludes Bonga Bonga. In this series opener aimed at children ages 1 to 7, Haddad (If I’m Not Back by Wednesday, 2016) tells the story with much affection for family relationships and the natural world. In the first category are warm memories of Bonga Bonga’s spending time with Grandpa: feeding fish and birds, playing, and commiserating when animals ate the goldfish. In the second category are, for example, tidbits about the life cycle of fish. Children can also learn something about the difficulties and rewards of keeping fish in backyard ponds, with solid information that comes from experience. The uncredited illustrations are charmingly naïve, bringing out the appeal of beautifully hued fish and even the ravenous raccoons.
Sweet and informative; of special interest to young fish lovers.Pub Date: May 10, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5255-2760-9
Page Count: 44
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: June 6, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s...
Music journalist and musician Wald (Talking 'Bout Your Mama: The Dozens, Snaps, and the Deep Roots of Rap, 2014, etc.) focuses on one evening in music history to explain the evolution of contemporary music, especially folk, blues, and rock.
The date of that evening is July 25, 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival, where there was an unbelievably unexpected occurrence: singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, already a living legend in his early 20s, overriding the acoustic music that made him famous in favor of electronically based music, causing reactions ranging from adoration to intense resentment among other musicians, DJs, and record buyers. Dylan has told his own stories (those stories vary because that’s Dylan’s character), and plenty of other music journalists have explored the Dylan phenomenon. What sets Wald's book apart is his laser focus on that one date. The detailed recounting of what did and did not occur on stage and in the audience that night contains contradictory evidence sorted skillfully by the author. He offers a wealth of context; in fact, his account of Dylan's stage appearance does not arrive until 250 pages in. The author cites dozens of sources, well-known and otherwise, but the key storylines, other than Dylan, involve acoustic folk music guru Pete Seeger and the rich history of the Newport festival, a history that had created expectations smashed by Dylan. Furthermore, the appearances on the pages by other musicians—e.g., Joan Baez, the Weaver, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Dave Van Ronk, and Gordon Lightfoot—give the book enough of an expansive feel. Wald's personal knowledge seems encyclopedic, and his endnotes show how he ranged far beyond personal knowledge to produce the book.
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s personal feelings about Dylan's music or persona.Pub Date: July 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-236668-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dey Street/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
