Pulver (Homer and the House Next Door, 1994, etc.) delivers a rambunctious wintry tall tale about how a valiant bus driver, Axle Annie, defeats a dastardly scheme concocted by fellow driver Shifty Rhodes. Annie is famous in her town of Burskyville for her amazing ability to maneuver her bus through any snowstorm. Not even the specter of the towering incline known as Tiger Hill can intimidate her. Thus the Burskyville schools never close, much to the disgruntlement of Shifty, who’d like a snow day now and then. When Shifty conspires with Hale Snow, owner of a local ski resort, to whip up a doozy of a snowstorm on Tiger Hill (with a little help from Hale’s snowmaking machine), it appears that Annie has met her match. However, her generosity in the past to all the stranded motorists is returned when they push her up the hill. With hilarious, over-the-top characters, this satisfyingly outrageous tale will tickle readers’ funny bones. Arnold’s spunky illustrations capture the tongue-in-cheek spirit of the text and his characterization of the curmudgeonly Shifty help make this blustery tale the perfect antidote for the winter doldrums. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8037-2096-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999
Miranda’s book counts the monsters gathering at a birthday party, while a simple rhyming text keeps the tally and surveys the action: “Seven starved monsters are licking the dishes./Eight blow out candles and make birthday wishes.” The counting proceeds to ten, then by tens to fifty, then gradually returns to one, which makes the monster’s mother, a purple pin-headed octopus, very happy. The book is surprisingly effective due to Powell’s artwork; the color has texture and density, as if it were poured onto the page, but the real attention-getter is the singularity of every monster attendee. They are highly individual and, therefore, eminently countable. As the numbers start crawling upward, it is both fun and a challenge to try to recognize monsters who have appeared in previous pages, or to attempt to stay focused when counting the swirling or bunched creatures. The story has glints of humor, and in combination with the illustrations is a grand addition to the counting shelf. (Picture book. 3-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-201835-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999
The Pumpkin Book (32 pp.; $16.95; Sept. 15; 0-8234-1465-5): From seed to vine and blossom to table, Gibbons traces the growth cycle of everyone’s favorite autumn symbol—the pumpkin. Meticulous drawings detail the transformation of tiny seeds to the colorful gourds that appear at roadside stands and stores in the fall. Directions for planting a pumpkin patch, carving a jack-o’-lantern, and drying the seeds give young gardeners the instructions they need to grow and enjoy their own golden globes. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1999
ISBN: 0-8234-1465-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
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