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I NEVER KNEW YOUR NAME

Name: I NEVER KNEW YOUR NAME
Author: Sherry Garland
ISBN: 0-395-69686-0

by Sherry Garland & illustrated by Sheldon Greenberg ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1994

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New to the apartment complex, a boy troubled by his own losses observes an older youth's loneliness. Addressing the teenager (who, we learn at the end, has committed suicide), the narrator describes how he watched the older boy make friends with a stray dog, how he heard his own sister make fun of him, and how he sympathized with the other boy's despondency as classmates set out for the prom. The narrator thought of trying to make friends, but his own hopelessness discouraged him. The last night, he had backed off when he saw that, while feeding the pigeons on the roof, the older boy was weeping. Later, the ambulance came. In Garland's graceful text, each quiet incident telegraphs a failed connection. Although no one reaches out to this young man (or to the narrator), each failure to do so is clearly presented as a missed opportunity. Greenberg makes his picture-book debut with generalized impressionistic paintings that reflect the somber tone, characterizing the lanky blond suicide as shy and introspective, a nice, ordinary-looking youth whose gestures toward friendship are too tentative for his self-absorbed peers to notice. A disturbing, careful, and thought-provoking book. (Picture book. 6-10)*jus

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1994

ISBN: 0-395-69686-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1994

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
VOICES OF THE WESTERN FRONTIER
by Sherry Garland ; illustrated by Julie Dupré Buckner

- BOOK REVIEW
THE BUFFALO SOLDIER
by Sherry Garland & illustrated by Ronald Himler

- BOOK REVIEW
CHILDREN OF THE DRAGON
by Sherry Garland & illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman

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WILD, WILD WOLVES

by Joyce Milton & illustrated by Larry Schwinger ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1992

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At ``Step 2'' in the useful ``Step into Reading'' series: an admirably clear, well-balanced presentation that centers on wolves' habits and pack structure. Milton also addresses their endangered status, as well as their place in fantasy, folklore, and the popular imagination. Attractive realistic watercolors on almost every page. Top-notch: concise, but remarkably extensive in its coverage. A real bargain. (Nonfiction/Easy reader. 6-10)

Pub Date: April 1, 1992

ISBN: 0-679-91052-2

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1992

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
DINOSAUR DAYS
by Joyce Milton ; illustrated by Franco Tempesta

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GOONEY BIRD GREENE

by Lois Lowry & illustrated by Middy Thomas ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2002

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Gooney Bird Greene (with a silent E) is not your average second grader. She arrives in Mrs. Pidgeon’s class announcing: “I’m your new student and I just moved here from China. I want a desk right smack in the middle of the room, because I like to be right smack in the middle of everything.” Everything about her is unusual and mysterious—her clothes, hairstyles, even her lunches. Since the second graders have never met anyone like Gooney Bird, they want to hear more about her. Mrs. Pidgeon has been talking to the class about what makes a good story, so it stands to reason that Gooney will get her chance. She tells a series of stories that explain her name, how she came from China on a flying carpet, how she got diamond earrings at the prince’s palace, and why she was late for school (because she was directing a symphony orchestra). And her stories are “absolutely true.” Actually, they are explainable and mesh precisely with the teacher’s lesson, more important, they are a clever device that exemplify the elements of good storytelling and writing and also demonstrate how everyone can turn everyday events into stories. Savvy teachers should take note and add this to their shelf of “how a story is made” titles. Gooney Bird’s stories are printed in larger type than the narrative and the black-and-white drawings add the right touch of sauciness (only the cover is in color). A hybrid of Harriet, Blossom, and Anastasia, irrepressible Gooney Bird is that rare bird in children’s fiction: one that instantly becomes an amusing and popular favorite. (Fiction. 6-9)