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THE BOOK OF TIME-OUTS

A MOSTLY TRUE HISTORY OF THE WORLD’S BIGGEST TROUBLEMAKERS

Assuring readers that “you’re not the first to have a time out, you’re not the worst,” Lucke presents 14 of the badly behaved from history—including Cleopatra the “Phighting Pharaoh,” Isabella the “Not-So-Clean Queen” (she claimed to have bathed only twice in her life) and the “Armée Brat” Napoleon: “He looked at Germany and said, ‘Mine.’ He saw Italy and said, ‘Mine.’ ” Unfortunately, she wastes her promising premise by skipping over nearly all of the actual details (“In 1717 Bach was given a time out for ‘stubbornness’), and by not checking her facts carefully—no, Rosa Parks did not become an activist after she was arrested, and no, she did not receive the Congressional Medal of Honor (she did win the Congressional Gold Medal). The painted gallery of recognizable figures scowling, pouting, having tantrums and sitting in corners can’t compensate for the anemic text; steer readers instead to titles in the Horrible Histories series. No source citations, either. (Nonfiction. 8-10)

Pub Date: April 8, 2008

ISBN: 978-1-4169-2829-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2008

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50 ADVENTURES IN THE 50 STATES

From the The 50 States series

Go adventuring with a better guide.

Find something to do in every state in the U.S.A.!

This guide highlights a location of interest within each of the states, therefore excluding Washington, D.C., and the territories. Trivia about each location is scattered across crisply rendered landscapes that background each state’s double-page spread while diminutive, diverse characters populate the scenes. Befitting the title, one “adventure” is presented per state, such as shrimping in Louisiana’s bayous, snowshoeing in Connecticut, or celebrating the Fourth of July in Boston. While some are stereotypical gimmes (surfing in California), others have the virtue of novelty, at least for this audience, such as viewing the sandhill crane migration in Nebraska. Within this thematic unity, some details go astray, and readers may find themselves searching in vain for animals mentioned. The trivia is plentiful but may be misleading, vague, or incorrect. Information about the Native American peoples of the area is often included, but its brevity—especially regarding sacred locations—means readers are floundering without sufficient context. The same is true for many of the facts that relate directly to expansion and colonialism, such as the unexplained near extinction of bison. Describing the genealogical oral history of South Carolina’s Gullah community as “spin[ning] tales” is equally brusque and offensive. The book tries to do a lot, but it is more style than substance, which may leave readers bored, confused, slightly annoyed—or all three. (This book was reviewed digitally with 12.2-by-20.2-inch double-page spreads viewed at 80% of actual size.)

Go adventuring with a better guide. (tips on local adventuring, index) (Nonfiction. 8-10)

Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-7112-5445-9

Page Count: 112

Publisher: Wide Eyed Editions

Review Posted Online: July 27, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020

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MAMA GOD, PAPA GOD

A CARIBBEAN TALE

Mama God, Papa God ($15.95; Apr. 26; 32 pp.; 1-56656-307-0): The creation story takes a whimsical Caribbean turn in a seamless blend of religion and folk-art set in Haiti. Tired of living in darkness, Papa God creates light, then goes on to make the world as a beautiful gift for Mama God. Together, they design a detailed world filled with brilliance, love, and humor. Highly stylized illustrations rich in primary colors show the progress of creation as animals, birds, water, fish, wind, and rain take their place in the world. This unusual rendition of the creation tale sings to a calypso beat and gives a strikingly different and exuberant interpretation of how the world began. (Picture book. 3-8)

Pub Date: April 26, 1999

ISBN: 1-56656-307-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Interlink

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1999

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