A picture book presents one year in the life of a hypothetical leopard frog, from conception in the spring through hibernation. Along the way, readers learn some pretty cool frog facts: “A male frog fills pouches of loose skin on either side of his mouth with air. Then he forces the air back and forth over his vocal chords. It sounds like a hand rubbing a wet balloon. But to a female frog it is a beautiful song.” But within these frog facts lie some concerns. First, terms unfamiliar to the book’s natural audience, such as “vocal chords”—or dragonfly “nymph” or “scavenger”—are presented without elaboration (and in the case of vocal cords, homonymically confused). Second, thoughts and emotions are occasionally imputed without any real basis: how can the author, or anyone else, really know what the lady frogs think about the gentleman frogs’ “song”? These concerns aside, Chrustowski (Army Ant Parade, 2002, etc.) by and large does a good job of presenting the basic facts of frog life. The frog duly grows from tadpolehood to maturity, a couple of encounters with predators adding dramatic tension and hinting at the fates of other, not-so-lucky frogs. Colored pencil drawings over watercolor wash are sharp, clear, and accurate, but they do not have the artistry of, say, a Jim Arnosky illustration. A full page of further “Frog Facts” follows the narrative, somewhat duplicating what has gone before and neglecting to mention such a salient fact as the range of the leopard frog. With a wealth of frog books available to the budding scientist, this is just an additional purchase. (Picture book/nonfiction. 4-7)
Pub Date: April 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-8050-6688-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2003
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers.
Echoing the meter of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” Ward uses catchy original rhymes to describe the variety of nests birds create.
Each sweet stanza is complemented by a factual, engaging description of the nesting habits of each bird. Some of the notes are intriguing, such as the fact that the hummingbird uses flexible spider web to construct its cup-shaped nest so the nest will stretch as the chicks grow. An especially endearing nesting behavior is that of the emperor penguin, who, with unbelievable patience, incubates the egg between his tummy and his feet for up to 60 days. The author clearly feels a mission to impart her extensive knowledge of birds and bird behavior to the very young, and she’s found an appealing and attractive way to accomplish this. The simple rhymes on the left page of each spread, written from the young bird’s perspective, will appeal to younger children, and the notes on the right-hand page of each spread provide more complex factual information that will help parents answer further questions and satisfy the curiosity of older children. Jenkins’ accomplished collage illustrations of common bird species—woodpecker, hummingbird, cowbird, emperor penguin, eagle, owl, wren—as well as exotics, such as flamingoes and hornbills, are characteristically naturalistic and accurate in detail.
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers. (author’s note, further resources) (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-2116-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
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