Schmaltzy but affecting.
Music touches lives human and otherwise in this true zoo tale from the 1970s.
A jazz flautist named (ironically) Paul Horn meets captive orcas Haida and Chimo at an aquarium on British Columbia’s Victoria Island, along with a scientist, Dr. Paul Spong, who’s been studying the effects of recorded music on the whales. With Dr. Spong’s encouragement, Horn agrees to sit poolside with his two sons and play live. Astonishingly, the marine mammals not only listen attentively, but also respond with calls of their own. Sometime later, after Chimo dies, Horn returns with his children to revive the grieving, failing Haida with dancing and happy tunes. OHora relates the encounters in rhapsodic, occasionally over-the-top tones—“Gorgeous melodies filled the air.” “For a moment, they were all free in a realm of pure joy”—before concluding with poignant sentiments about the suffering of orcas in captivity and further information about the apex predators, about Horn, and about Spong’s ongoing research. In illustrations “inspired by music on vinyl,” abstract tufts of sound float up from the flute as the orcas swim and splash in claustrophobic surroundings. Chimo’s rare partial albinism is accurately depicted. Human figures are uniformly pink-skinned, but they’re likewise drawn with individualized features.
Schmaltzy but affecting. (Informational picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2024
ISBN: 9781774883945
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
A welcome, well-researched reflection of cultural pride in the early-reader landscape.
The fourth installment in Delacre’s early-reader series centers on the rich musical traditions of Puerto Rico, once again featuring sibling tree frogs Rafi and Rosi Coquí.
Readers learn along with Rafi and Rosi as they explore bomba, plena, and salsa in three chapters. A glossary at the beginning sets readers up well to understand the Spanish vocabulary, including accurate phoneticization for non-Spanish speakers. The stories focus on Rafi and Rosi’s relationship within a musical context. For example, in one chapter Rafi finds out that he attracts a larger audience playing his homemade güiro with Rosi’s help even though he initially excluded her: “Big brothers only.” Even when he makes mistakes, as the older brother, Rafi consoles Rosi when she is embarrassed or angry at him. In each instance, their shared joy for music and dance ultimately shines through any upsets—a valuable reflection of unity. Informational backmatter and author’s sources are extensive. Undoubtedly these will help teachers, librarians, and parents to develop Puerto Rican cultural programs, curriculum, or home activities to extend young readers’ learning. The inclusion of instructions to make one’s own homemade güiro is a thoughtful addition. The Spanish translation, also by Delacre and published simultaneously, will require a more advanced reader than the English one to recognize and comprehend contractions (“pa’bajo-pa-pa’rriba”) and relatively sophisticated vocabulary.
A welcome, well-researched reflection of cultural pride in the early-reader landscape. (Early reader. 7-9)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-89239-429-6
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Children's Book Press
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
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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