Egyptologists (in all honesty) have found hieroglyphics recording plans for a polar bear's burial vault. Adinolfi felt the bear's story had gone begging for too long. Thus, although not exactly cut from the cloth of history, Nanook the lonely polar bear's saga begins. Many years ago, the bear hitched a ride on a passing iceberg in search of a fellow creature's company. He floated way south, slipped through the Straits of Gibraltar, and washed ashore in Egypt, then ruled by the lonely boy king Rahotep. The king ordered cool drinks to soothe the beast. He offered Nanook a slice of goose, and though the bear sensed it was not seal meat, he took a nibble, then more. Rahotep felt brave, Nanook felt sated, and both felt a dent in their loneliness. Nanook became the royal playmate and engaged in typical fifth-dynasty shenanigans: griffin hunting, pyramid climbing, dancing till the sun rose over the sphinx. Fast friends forever. This book is pure entertainment, so don't go searching for great truths. The story will grow on you, as will the stylized, altered-state illustrations, richly colored confections as loopy as the story. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-395-68074-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1994
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
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