Smoothly written and gently informative, this is a nice addition to the elementary-level nature shelf.
With its rubbery ducklike bill, reptilian walk, and venomous spurs, the puzzling platypus is a mammal like no other.
This curious Australian creature lays eggs and then provides milk for its young. Whiting’s introduction emphasizes physiology, habits, diet, and feeding behavior. There's a two-level text for reading aloud or alone: a chronicle of a male platypus’s nighttime activities, constantly in motion as he forages in a pool surrounded by gum trees, plus a paragraph of extra, relevant facts presented in a smaller font. A page of expository backmatter summarizes the animal’s major characteristics, tells where they can be found, and mentions threats to its survival. An index also provides a list of important platypus words (bill, monotreme, spurs). Jackson's mixed-media illustrations have the appearance of paint applied over lines done with a red pencil or thin brush. With their dark colors and wavery lines they're sometimes obscure—as is the actual animal in the wild. First published in Australia, this storylike portrayal would pair well with Sneed B. Collard and Andrew Plant’s A Platypus, Probably (2005), which tells more about the animal's ancient history and natural history and has considerably more detailed, lifelike illustrations.
Smoothly written and gently informative, this is a nice addition to the elementary-level nature shelf. (Informational picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7636-8098-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 16, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
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