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GOOD MORNING, CITY

Name: GOOD MORNING, CITY
Author: Elaine Moore
ISBN: 0-8167-3654-8

by Elaine Moore & illustrated by William Low ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1995

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Striking paintings make up for the lapses in the text of this paean to the early hours in the city, which begins when the floodlights on the tops of tall buildings and the streetlights below still shine, and ends when the sun is high and people are thronging to work and to school. In between, readers see the el, its windows brightly lit, traveling past still-dark office and apartment buildings; newspapers dropped off at a shuttered kiosk as the river reflects the brilliant streaks of dawn; an impossibly large cargo ship threading its way through an open drawbridge; subway workers underground; and the sun gilding the gothic spires of a cathedral. Moore (Grandma's Garden, 1994, etc.) employs highly descriptive images (the sky as ``blue as a teacup,'' the ``rubber lips'' of a school bus door) that are sometimes sloppy: the ``hissing steam'' in the subway (the hissing is from compressed air), ``steeples'' defined as ``steep points'' (there can be several such points on a gothic building, but only the tower-like structures are steeples), or ``cathedral bells that harken each new day'' (harken as a transitive verb is archaic; to suggest that cathedral bells ``hear'' or ``listen to'' each new day is confusing). Readers can skip these graceless spots and make discoveries in Low's pictures, each of which suggests a story of its own. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1995

ISBN: 0-8167-3654-8

Page Count: 32

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1995

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
GRANDMA'S GARDEN
by Elaine Moore & illustrated by Dan Andreasen

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A DOG NAMED SAM

by Janice Boland & illustrated by G. Brian Karas ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1996

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A book that will make young dog-owners smile in recognition and confirm dogless readers' worst suspicions about the mayhem caused by pets, even winsome ones. Sam, who bears passing resemblance to an affable golden retriever, is praised for fetching the family newspaper, and goes on to fetch every other newspaper on the block. In the next story, only the children love Sam's swimming; he is yelled at by lifeguards and fishermen alike when he splashes through every watering hole he can find. Finally, there is woe to the entire family when Sam is bored and lonely for one long night. Boland has an essential message, captured in both both story and illustrations of this Easy-to-Read: Kids and dogs belong together, especially when it's a fun-loving canine like Sam. An appealing tale. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: April 1, 1996

ISBN: 0-8037-1530-7

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Dial Books

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1996

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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BERRY MAGIC

by Teri Sloat & Betty Huffman & illustrated by Teri Sloat ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2004

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Sloat collaborates with Huffman, a Yu’pik storyteller, to infuse a traditional “origins” tale with the joy of creating. Hearing the old women of her village grumble that they have only tasteless crowberries for the fall feast’s akutaq—described as “Eskimo ice cream,” though the recipe at the end includes mixing in shredded fish and lard—young Anana carefully fashions three dolls, then sings and dances them to life. Away they bound, to cover the hills with cranberries, blueberries, and salmonberries. Sloat dresses her smiling figures in mixes of furs and brightly patterned garb, and sends them tumbling exuberantly through grassy tundra scenes as wildlife large and small gathers to look on. Despite obtrusively inserted pronunciations for Yu’pik words in the text, young readers will be captivated by the action, and by Anana’s infectious delight. (Picture book/folktale. 6-8)