Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
I LIN I S UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN PRODUCTION NOTE University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library Large-scale Digitization Project, 2007. :~:: " i·;"i~~~"~· University of Illinois Graduate School of Library and Information Science i-- -ru -- i b 5~5~ GREA ZOO Illustrated. Cloth, $49.95; Paper, $24.95 Available at booksellers, call 800-537-5487, or visit www. press.uillinois.edu With a foreword by Jack Hanna, this book combines photographs, oral histories and other resources to chronicle Lincoln Park Zoo's development and chart the unique role it continues to play in the growth of Chicago and in the establishment of zoos and preservation activities in cities across America. Read about Mike the polar bear and how he ripped offa man's (already artifical) arm. Other stories introduce Rocky the parachuting bear; Bushman, a lowland gorilla with an outgoing personality; and Princess Spearmint, a Nile hippopatamus donated by William Wrigley, Jr. Along with stories of the colorful characters that lived and worked in the park over the years, the authors give a detailed history of the park. They tell of the initially cau- tious, then effervescent growth of the zoo from its earliest years through the 1920s. Later, the Great Depression devastated the animals and their keepers before the recov- ery partially helped by the WPA. Growth continued through the tenure of Malin Perkins and one of the earliest nature shows on television, Zoo Parade. Now, zoo lead- ers work optimistically to keep the zoo 'free' while increasing cooperation with other education and preservation groups. ([ UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS PRESS THE BUvL LE T IN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS June 2004 Vol. 57 No. 10 I' A LOOK INSIDE 405 THE BIG PICTURE Toad Rage by Morris Gleitzman 406 NEW BOOKS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE Reviewed titles include: 417 * The Lost Colony ofRoanoke by Jean Fritz; illus. by Hudson Talbott 421 * Godless by Pete Hautman 427 * Messenger by Lois Lowry 429 * Shooter by Walter Dean Myers 443 * Dig! by Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha; illus. by Marc Rosenthal 445 PROFESSIONAL CONNECTIONS 446 SUBJECT AND USE INDEX EXPLANATION OF CODE SYMBOLS USED WITH REVIEWS * Asterisks denote books of special distinction. R Recommended. Ad Additional book of acceptable quality for collections needing more material in the area. M Marginal book that is so slight in content or has so many weaknesses in style or format that it should be given careful consideration before purchase. NR Not recommended. SpC Subject matter or treatment will tend to limit the book to specialized collections. SpR A book that will have appeal for the unusual reader only. Recommended for the special few who will read it. The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (ISSN 0008-9036) is published monthly except August by the Publications Office of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and distributed by the University of Illinois Press, 1325 S. Oak, Champaign, IL 61820-6903. REVIEWING STAFF Deborah Stevenson, Editor (DS) Betsy Hearne, Consulting Editor and Faculty Liaison Elizabeth Bush, Reviewer (EB) Timnah Card, Reviewer (TC) Karen Coats, Reviewer (KC) Janice M. Del Negro, Reviewer (JMD) Krista Hutley, Reviewer (KH) Hope Morrison, Reviewer (HM) Reviewers' initials are appended to reviews. OFFICE STAFF Molly Dolan Krista Hutley Hope Morrison SUBSCRIPTION RATES 1 year, institutions, $75.00; multiple institutional subscriptions, $70 for the first and $50 for each additional; individuals, $50.00; students, $15.00. In countries other than the United States, add $7.00 per subscription for postage. Japanese subscription agent: Kinokuniya Company Ltd. Single copy rate: $7.50. Volumes available in microfilm from ProQuest, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Complete volumes available in microfiche from Johnson Associates, P.O. Box 1017, Greenwich, CT 06830. Subscription checks should be made payable to the University of Illinois Press. All notices of change of address should provide both the old and new address. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, University of Illinois Press, 1325 S. Oak, Champaign, IL 61820-6903. All inquiries about subscriptions and advertising should go to University of Illinois Press, 1325 S. Oak, Champaign, IL 61820-6903, 217-333-0950; toll free 866-244-0626. Review copies and all correspondence about reviews should be sent to Deborah Stevenson, The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 501 E. Daniel St., Champaign, IL 61820-6601. Email: [email protected]; phone: 217-244-0324. Visit our homepage at http://www.lis.uiuc.edu/puboff/bccb Periodicals postage paid at Champaign, Illinois © 2004 by The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois Drawings by Debra Bolgla. This publication is printed on acid-free paper. Cover illustration by Rod Clement from Toad Rage ©2004. Used by permission of Random House Children's Books. JUNE 2004 * 405 THE BIG PICTURE Toad Rage by Morris Gleitzman Reviewers of children's literature encounter animal points of view with great regu- larity; it seems certain critters, most notably of the domestic variety, frequently have the opportunity to share their perspective on the world. Just two months previously, the Big Picture showcased a yellow Lab's take on neighborhood life (I, Jack, BCCB 4/04), and countless cat books appear every season, offering a feline- focused worldview. In the latest comic entry from Australian author Morris Gleitzman (author of Puppy Fat, BCCB 7/96, Worry Warts, 4/93, among others), readers have the opportunity to hear from the most unlikely of creatures-the dreaded cane toad. Our protagonist, a young cane toad called Limpy, sets out into the world in search of an answer to that all-important question-why do humans hate cane toads? While the explanation may be obvious to the reader (it may be their offputting appearance, that venomous secretion directed at potential threats, the fact that they're a damaging invader species, or a combination of all three), poor Limpy is determined to understand and reverse this age-old revulsion if only given an opportunity to represent all that is good about his kind. Limpy's quest is prompted by the fact that his relatives are getting killed left and right; flying insects (necessary for a balanced cane-toad diet) tend to hang out around highway lights, and speeding vehicles flatten cane toads every day ("'Oh no, Limpy,' said Mum in exasperation. 'You haven't brought home another dead relative"'). Limpy, who fears especially for his slow-moving younger sister "who'd stayed small because of pollution," appoints himself to leave rural Queensland and figure out why humans seem to target his species. After a brief run-in with some vacationers at a gas station (where Limpy attempts to disguise himself as a tropical butterfly with a pair of pilfered underpants), Limpy hitches a ride to the Olympic Games in Sydney. His plan? To join the ranks of the platypus, echidna, and kookaburra and become a Games mascot, thereby earning the affection of humans and saving his species from pending destruction. The challenge of winning over the humans proves an enormous task-as explained by a rather blunt mosquito, humans find cane toads "even uglier and more revolting... than hairy spiders and smelly dung beetles and those slugs that sleep in their own snot." Unable to understand English, Limpy is constantly specu- lating, occasionally to grievous but snicker-worthy error, on human conversations that he overhears without comprehending. In an intriguing play on perspective, the reader, who can understand these dialogues, is often a step ahead of Limpy, making the toad take all the funnier. The real charm lies in the curious juxtaposi- tion of Limpy's tragic plight and Gleitzman's hysterically funny narration; Limpy's seriousness and sense of duty perfectly contrast with the helplessly humorous tone 406 * THE BULLETIN of his chronicle. Limpy's lucky escapes from countless dangers-he's attacked by rats, teenagers, and a toddler, to name just a few-are at the same time riveting and funny, and the clever dialogue places the reader firmly in the skin of an endan- gered cane toad out to change the world. The pace of the adventure keeps readers along for the ride, and the many details strewn throughout the story come together to great effect in the conclusion, where a stroke of symbiotic luck results in Limpy's clearing the name of a beloved national athlete accused of steroid use and thereby winning a fair dose of human appreciation. This highly accessible comedy would make a laugh-out-loud readaloud as well as an enticing read for the reluctant set; this little cane toad is an oddly lovable protagonist, and the lessons in courage and bravery woven throughout the story make this both an amusing and empowering tale for young people. Readers or listeners alike are certain to cheer for our hero's success in helping humans see that beauty is only as deep as one's skin-whether warty or not. (Imprint infor- mation appears on p. 418.) Hope Morrison, Reviewer NEW BOOKS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE ARDAGH, PHILIP The Fall of Fergal, or Not So Dingly in the Dell; illus. by David Roberts. Holt, 2004 123p ISBN 0-8050-7476-7 $9.95 Ad Gr. 4-6 Following on the heels of his middle-grades gothic A House Called Awful End (BCCB 12/02), Ardagh here offers the tale of the McNally family, a devoted bunch of siblings who share an embittered former military hero father and a genetic pre- disposition towards wiry red hair, multitudinous freckles, and bad teeth.