Short reviews of new children's books (under 6)
Steve Brock
under 6:
ANIMAL WONDERS SERIES: BALD EAGLES, BLACK BEARS, LOONS, WHALES,
WHITETAILS, WOLVES. Gareth Stevens Publishing, 1555 N. RiverCenter
Drive, Suite 201, Milwaukee, WI 53212. (800) 341-3569, (414) 225-
0377 FAX. Illustrated, index, glossary. 48 pp., $18.60 cloth,
each, six volume set is $111.60, 25% discount for schools and
libraries. Bald Eagles is 0-8368-0854-1, Black Bears is 0-8368-
0855-X, Loons is 0-8368-0856-8, Whales is 0-8368-0857-6, Whitetails
is 0-8368-0858-4, Wolves is 0-8368-0859-2.
REVIEW
These six new books in the "Animal Wonders" series are adapted
from the "Animal Magic for Kids" series and made available for
younger readers. Each book contains a description of the animal,
how it grows, eats, reproduces, where it lives and in what part of
the country, and preservation of their habitat. Each book contains
over thirty full-color photographs, and is a ideal introduction to
our nation's wildlife. Recommended for school and public librar-
ies.
DREAMPLACE by George Ella Lyon, illustrated by Peter Catalanotto.
Orchard Books, 95 Madison Ave., N.Y., NY 10016. Illustrated. 32
pp., $15.95 cloth. 0-531-05466-7
REVIEW
A young girl, on a tour of the Mesa Verde cliff dwellings in
Colorado, climbs into a kiva and envisions what Anasazi life may
have been like. As she does so, ghostly images appear and come to
life. In the girl's dream, the people prosper, but a drought makes
them abandon their home. The girl returns to the present, where
she, as part of a tour group, stands amazed. The watercolor
illustrations are inspiring, with occasional, tastefully presented,
nudity. This is an exceptional book, brimming with mystery and
awe.
GREENBROOK FARM by Bonnie Pryor, illustrated by Mark Graham. Simon
and Schuster, 15 Columbus Circle, N.Y., NY 10023. Illustrated.
40 pp., $4.95 paper. 0-671-79606-2
REVIEW
A small girl takes a walk and does her daily chores on a farm
that has been in her family for generations. As she does so, she
observes birds and animals at play with their young. She feeds a
calf and a foal, gets eggs from the henhouse, watches wild ducks
and chicks, and feeds her rabbits. At lunchtime, she gets to hold
the newest baby - her sister. A tender story, with warm, dreamy
landscape paintings that wonderfully portray springtime awakenings.
Recommended.
THE CRANE GIRL, written and illustrated by Veronika Martenova
Charles. Orchard Books, 95 Madison Ave., N.Y., NY 10016.
Illustrated. 32 pp., $14.95 cloth. 0-531-05485-3
REVIEW
When a new baby is born in her family, Yoshiko is happy. When
she sees all the attention the baby gets, however, she feels left
out and runs away. She asks fish and monkeys to take her in, but
they can't communicate with her. When she asks a group of cranes,
though, they do a dance which changes her into one of them. One
day, she flies back to her parent's house and hears them mourning.
She tries to communicate with them, but they don't understand. The
parents see a omamori around the neck of the crane and when they
say her name, she turns back into a child. With an afterword that
outlines the symbolism of cranes (parental love) and the omamori.
An encouraging gift for a girl with a "new bundle of joy" to
compete with. Highly recommended.
CHARLIE THE CATERPILLAR by Dom DeLuise, illustrated by Christopher
Santoro. Simon and Schuster, 15 Columbus Circle, N.Y., NY 10023.
Illustrated. 40 pp., $4.95 paper.
REVIEW
A take-off on the Ugly Duckling theme, DeLuise uses a
caterpillar instead. Charlie is always told by other animals that
he is too ugly to play with and to "giddadda here!" After so much
rejection, Charlie wants to be alone and warm. He climbs up a
tree, spins a cocoon, and emerges in the spring as a butterfly.
Now everyone strains to include him in their games, and Charlie
shuns them. He meets Katie caterpillar and becomes her friend.
Encouraging, heartening, and infused with LeLuise's spirit. Highly
recommended.
WORLD WATER WATCH, written and illustrated by Michelle Koch.
Greenwillow Books, 1350 Avenue of the Americas, N.Y., NY 10019.
Illustrated, appendix. 32 pp., $14.00 cloth. 0-688-11464-4
REVIEW
Children of different countries tell of the human-caused
dangers to sea otters from oil spills, green turtles from being
eaten and their shells used for decoration, penguins from global
warming, seals and polar bears from hunting, and whales from
tourist boats. An appendix describes the environment in which each
species lives. The watercolor illustrations are appealing, and the
book portrays the animals as our friends, their plight in our
hands. Recommended.
SSHABOOM! by Brian Mangus, illustrated by Katy Bratun. Simon and
Schuster, 15 Columbus Circle, N.Y., NY 10023. Illustrated. 40
pp., $14.00 cloth. 0-671-75538-2
REVIEW
Dinner is a washout at the MacBunny's house, as Father
MacBunny attempts to repair a leaky pipe under the sink. As he
squirms with his wrench, SSHABOOM!, the pipe explodes. When Mother
MacBunny returns from the store and opens the door, a wave washes
her across the front lawn. They call a plumber and check into a
hotel for the night while their house dries out. The hotel manager
wonders why the family isn't interested in using the pool. This is
a winsome book that the kids may get for dad, reminding him to shut
off the main water line before trying to fix a leaky pipe.
Recommended.
THINK OF AN EEL by Karen Wallace, illustrated by Mike Bostock.
Candlewick Press, 2067 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02140.
(617) 661-3330, (617) 661-0505 FAX. Illustrated. 26 pp., $14.95
cloth. 1-56402-180-7
REVIEW
A volume in the "Read and Wonder" series, this book combines
natural science with an imaginative prose-poem, as the reader
follows the life of an eel. Born in a "warm, weedy sea to the
south of Bermuda," the baby eel "looks like a willow leaf, clear as
crystal." He swims for three years and turns into an elver. Now
he looks "like a shoelace made of glass." He swims up a river,
makes a hole in the mud, and feeds from the shore at night. Now an
adult, his eyes "like black currants bulge into headlights," he
knows it is time to return to the sea on a dark, moonless night.
He swims back to the Sargasso See of his birth, spills a bellyful
of eggs, and falls to the bottom "like a used silver wrapper." And
the story begins again. This book is a special treat - the cadence
of the text is mysteriously hypnotic and the reader becomes the
eel. Hand written facts accompany the cool watercolor paintings.
Highly recommended. Other titles in the series are: "A Piece of
String is a Wonderful Thing," "All Pigs are Beautiful," and "Think
of a Beaver."