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COTTON MILL TOWN

Name: COTTON MILL TOWN
Author: Kathleen Hershey
ISBN: 0-525-44966-3

by Kathleen Hershey & illustrated by Jeanette Winter ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 1993

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Speaking in the voice of the child she was when ice-cream cones were a nickel, the author reminisces about visiting her grandmama in North Carolina. The cotton factory is seen in the distance, or remembered as the place where Granddaddy worked when he was alive, and there are cotton fields (in bloom, not at harvest); otherwise, this is a country idyll—swimming, walking in the woods, helping Grandmama in the garden, enjoying evenings on her porch. Grandmama works in a drugstore, and the two help with the harvest at a peach farm, but these are minor economic notes. Winter depicts the remembered pleasures with her usual carefully crafted designs and saturated colors, for a pleasantly decorative effect appropriately like appliquÇ. Reality is suspended, to a degree—there are ripe huckleberries and tadpoles on the same day; a star nestles within the curve of a crescent moon (well, it could be a firefly); and all the faces are white. Still, memory is selective, and the nostalgia's warm glow is genuine. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1993

ISBN: 0-525-44966-3

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Dutton

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1993

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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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)