BACK-TO-SCHOOL RULES

Name: BACK-TO-SCHOOL RULES
Author: Laurie Friedman
ISBN: 978-0-7613-6070-4

by Laurie Friedman & illustrated by Teresa Murfin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2011

Unfortunately, his negatively-phrased list of rules are full of don’ts. Among them: Don't be late or impolite, don’t forget...

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Young Percy Isaac Gifford offers 10 rules for students to follow so that an “A+” will be guaranteed.

Unfortunately, his negatively-phrased list of rules are full of don’ts. Among them: Don't be late or impolite, don’t forget to have fun, don’t contradict your teacher or take forever to say something, don’t cry often or without a reason and “when in doubt, don’t.” Repeated readings of all these don'ts, especially when accompanied by all of Percy’s lists of specific things not to do, may well permanently fix the “naughty” behaviors in readers’ minds. In addition, Percy’s rules are lacking in the why department, never connecting how following his rules will lead to good grades…nor does he ever suggest that studying and doing homework are a good route to that end, too. The rhyming verse, while rollicking, is sometimes forced, resulting in clunky phrasing: “An important rule to follow: / Don’t forget to use your brain. / That means leave your plans at home / That qualify as insane!” Murfin’s artwork employs collaged papers and muted tones for a retro feel. Her rosy-cheeked children clearly illustrate each don’t, along with some others that aren’t spelled out in the text.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011

ISBN: 978-0-7613-6070-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Carolrhoda

Review Posted Online: July 27, 2011

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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MALLORY MAKES A DIFFERENCE
by Laurie Friedman ; illustrated by Jennifer Kalis

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MERRY CHRISTMAS, MARY CHRISTMAS!
by Laurie Friedman ; illustrated by Kathryn Durst

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LIFE, LOSS, AND LEMONADE
by Laurie Friedman

HORTON AND THE KWUGGERBUG AND MORE LOST STORIES

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HORTON AND THE KWUGGERBUG AND MORE LOST STORIES

by Dr. Seuss ; illustrated by Dr. Seuss ; introduction by Charles D. Cohen ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 9, 2014

Fans both young and formerly young will be pleased—100 percent.

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Published in magazines, never seen since / Now resurrected for pleasure intense / Versified episodes numbering four / Featuring Marco, and Horton and more!

All of the entries in this follow-up to The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories (2011) involve a certain amount of sharp dealing. Horton carries a Kwuggerbug through crocodile-infested waters and up a steep mountain because “a deal is a deal”—and then is cheated out of his promised share of delicious Beezlenuts. Officer Pat heads off escalating, imagined disasters on Mulberry Street by clubbing a pesky gnat. Marco (originally met on that same Mulberry Street) concocts a baroque excuse for being late to school. In the closer, a smooth-talking Grinch (not the green sort) sells a gullible Hoobub a piece of string. In a lively introduction, uber-fan Charles D. Cohen (The Seuss, The Whole Seuss, and Nothing but the Seuss, 2002) provides publishing histories, places characters and settings in Seussian context, and offers insights into, for instance, the origin of “Grinch.” Along with predictably engaging wordplay—“He climbed. He grew dizzy. His ankles grew numb. / But he climbed and he climbed and he clum and he clum”—each tale features bright, crisply reproduced renditions of its original illustrations. Except for “The Hoobub and the Grinch,” which has been jammed into a single spread, the verses and pictures are laid out in spacious, visually appealing ways.

Fans both young and formerly young will be pleased—100 percent. (Picture book. 6-9)

Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2014

ISBN: 978-0-385-38298-4

Page Count: 56

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
DR. SEUSS'S EVERY VOICE COUNTS!
illustrated by Dr. Seuss

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DR. SEUSS'S HORSE MUSEUM
by Dr. Seuss ; illustrated by Andrew Joyner

- BOOK REVIEW
WHAT PET SHOULD I GET?
by Dr. Seuss ; illustrated by Dr. Seuss

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THE ULTIMATE BOOK OF CITIES

by Anne-Sophie Baumann ; illustrated by Didier Balicevic ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 4, 2017

There’s lots to see and do in this big city.

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A set of panoramic views of the urban environment: inside and out, above and belowground, at street level and high overhead.

Thanks to many flaps, pull tabs, spinners, and sliders, viewers can take peeks into stores and apartments, see foliage change through the seasons in a park, operate elevators, make buildings rise and come down, visit museums and municipal offices, take in a film, join a children’s parade, marvel as Christmas decorations go up—even look in on a wedding and a funeral. Balicevic populates each elevated cartoon view with dozens of tiny but individualized residents diverse in age, skin tone, hair color and style, dress, and occupation. He also adds such contemporary touches as an electrical charging station for cars, surveillance cameras, smartphones, and fiber optic cables. Moreover, many flaps conceal diagrammatic views of infrastructure elements like water treatment facilities and sources of electrical power or how products ranging from plate glass and paper to bread, cheese, and T-shirts are manufactured (realistically, none of the workers in the last are white). Baumann’s commentary is largely dispensable, but she does worthily observe on the big final pop-up spread that cities are always changing—often, nowadays, becoming more environmentally friendly.

There’s lots to see and do in this big city. (Informational novelty. 6-9)