In this second adventure, Puerto Rican–American Gabí confronts a minor mystery: why is the new girl in the neighborhood so secretive? Could she even be a ghost? After all, the house is reputed to be haunted. Lizzie, a.k.a. Lizard, is all too human; due to a birth defect, she wears a leg brace and goes to a special school. Not wanting to be pitied, she tries to prevent others from finding out. Gabí and Lizzie quickly bond over their physical agility (Lizzie is an excellent climber) and their imaginary roles as super heroes—Gabí the Great and Gecko Girl, respectively—but almost lose their new-found friendship over Lizzie’s older twin brothers, who enjoy terrorizing Gabí’s little brother Miguelito. Gabí’s narration is propulsive and a little hyper—sure to please young readers—and Cepeda’s line illustrations are wry, emotive, and only a bit exaggerated. Spanish words and phrases, explained both by context and a glossary, will feel comfortable and comforting to bilingual students, while providing non-Spanish speakers with an appealing introduction to the language. (Fiction. 6-9)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-439-51711-7
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2003
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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)
Pub Date: June 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-88240-575-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Trickling, bubbling, swirling, rushing, a river flows down from its mountain beginnings, past peaceful country and bustling city on its way to the sea. Hooper (The Drop in My Drink, 1998, etc.) artfully evokes the water’s changing character as it transforms from “milky-cold / rattling-bold” to a wide, slow “sliding past mudflats / looping through marshes” to the end of its journey. Willey, best known for illustrating Geraldine McCaughrean’s spectacular folk-tale collections, contributes finely detailed scenes crafted in shimmering, intricate blues and greens, capturing mountain’s chill, the bucolic serenity of passing pastures, and a sense of mystery in the water’s shadowy depths. Though Hooper refers to “the cans and cartons / and bits of old wood” being swept along, there’s no direct conservation agenda here (for that, see Debby Atwell’s River, 1999), just appreciation for the river’s beauty and being. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: June 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-7636-0792-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2000
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