It's bad enough that Kit doesn't make the cast of the school play; when she goes home, her stepfather is drunk again. Later, seeing conceited classmate Marcia at a jewelry store, she impulsively tries to steal a bracelet and is arrested, fined, and sentenced to a period of community service at the local Humane Society. Kit's shame and humiliation increase as she lies to keep the incident secret, even from steadfast friend Tracy; worse, she discovers that her final exam in speech is to be an oral report on shoplifting. Kit's character and her distress are simply drawn but believable. The plot takes several melodramatic turns (a beloved stray is put to sleep just as Kit is arranging its adoption; her mother is suddenly hospitalized; her stepfather goes on another binge and has a serious auto accident) that make the concluding release still more effective: Tracy confesses eloquently to her class and is awarded not only an ``A'' but a coveted scholarship. Kehret pushes her message hard, but in positive ways. (Fiction. 11-14)
Pub Date: May 1, 1991
ISBN: 0-525-65062-8
Page Count: 150
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1991
Bishop’s spectacular photographs of the tiny red-eyed tree frog defeat an incidental text from Cowley (Singing Down the Rain, 1997, etc.). The frog, only two inches long, is enormous in this title; it appears along with other nocturnal residents of the rain forests of Central America, including the iguana, ant, katydid, caterpillar, and moth. In a final section, Cowley explains how small the frog is and aspects of its life cycle. The main text, however, is an afterthought to dramatic events in the photos, e.g., “But the red-eyed tree frog has been asleep all day. It wakes up hungry. What will it eat? Here is an iguana. Frogs do not eat iguanas.” Accompanying an astonishing photograph of the tree frog leaping away from a boa snake are three lines (“The snake flicks its tongue. It tastes frog in the air. Look out, frog!”) that neither advance nor complement the action. The layout employs pale and deep green pages and typeface, and large jewel-like photographs in which green and red dominate. The combination of such visually sophisticated pages and simplistic captions make this a top-heavy, unsatisfying title. (Picture book. 7-9)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-590-87175-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1999
Baker (Big Fat Hen, 1994, etc.) engages in more number play, posing ducklings in every combination of groups, e.g., “Splashing as they leap and dive/7 ducklings, 2 plus 5.” Using a great array of streaked and dappled papers, Baker creates a series of leafy collage scenes for the noisy, exuberant ducklings to fill, tucking in an occasional ladybug or other small creature for sharp-eyed pre-readers to spot. Children will regretfully wave goodbye as the ducks fly off in neat formation at the end of this brief, painless introduction to several basic math concepts. (Picture book. 4-6)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-292858-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999
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