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Page Two of Reviews

Where The Sidewalk Ends: The Poems & Drawings Of Shel Silverstein

Shel Silverstein

Genre: Humorous Poetry

Format: Hardcover

Age Range: 9 to 11 years

ISBN: 60256672

Pages: 166

Pub. Date: December 1973

Illustrator: Shel Silverstein

Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books

Simple pencil drawn illustrations. A hilarious collection of short and long poetry. Many include a child's perspective.

A Fine White Dust

Cynthia Rylant

Genre: Novel

Format: Hardcover

Age Range: 8 to 12 years

ISBN: 0027772403

Pages: 120

Pub. Date: August 1986

Illustrator: None

Publisher: Bradbury Press, New York

Novel about a religious boy, with non-religious parents, who is saved by a preacher at a church revival. The boy eventually loses trust in the preacher, but gains a tolerance of others beliefs.

The Spotted Pony: A Collection of Hanukkah Tales

Eric A. Kimmel

Genre: Novel

Format: Hardcover

Age Range: 9 to 11 years

ISBN: 0823409368

Pages: 70

Pub. Date: September 1992

Illustrator: Leonard Everett Fisher

Publisher: Holiday House, New York

Mediocre black and white illustrations appear occasionally. A retelling of eight Jewish tales, one for each night of Hanukkah. Shows a great appreciation for Jewish folktales. The writing quality far exceeds its artwork.

The Stranger

Chris Van Allsburg

Genre: Picture Book

Format: Hardcover

Age Range: 7 to 9 years

ISBN: 0395423317

Pages: 32

Pub. Date: July 1986

Illustrator: Chris Van Allsburg

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company

The illustrations rendered in oil show a great amount of emotion and mystery. Farmer Bailey hits a stranger with his truck and gives the man amnesia. The trees in the yard stay green a week longer until the stranger leaves, but the phenomenon occurs each autumn.

Van Allsburg has written Jumanji, The Polar Express, and The Wretched Stone.

The Stinky Cheese Man And Other Fairly Stupid Tales

Jon Scieszka

Genre: Picture Book

Format: Hardcover

Age Range: 7 to 11 years

ISBN: 067084487X

Pages: 56

Pub. Date: September 1992

Illustrator: Lane Smith

Publisher: Viking, New York, New York

The illustrations have a dark, yet comedic, look similar to the cartoon Beetlejuice. The book is a collection of modernized fairy tales with a comedic twist. The table of contents, title page, and narrator comments are not where you would expect.

Rapunzel

Paul O. Zelinsky

Genre: Picture Book

Format: Hardcover

Age Range: 7 to 11 years

ISBN: 0525456074

Pages: 48

Pub. Date: September 1997

Illustrator: Paul O. Zelinsky

Publisher: Dutton Children's Books, New York

The beautiful oil paintings with their classic look add strength to the story. The book is a retelling of the story Rapunzel which has its origin in France. It is a great read aloud book.

Chrysanthemum

Kevin Henkes

Genre: Picture Book

Format: Hardcover

Age Range: 4 to 9 years

ISBN: 0688096999

Pages: 32

Pub. Date: August 1991

Illustrator: Kevin Henkes

Publisher: New York, Greenwillow Books

The watercolor illustrations give the book a cartoon look. Chrysanthemum loves her name until she goes to school and the other children make fun of it. Eventually, when she meets the music teacher Delphinium Twinkle, she likes her name again.

Tree of Cranes

Allen Say

Genre: Picture Book

Format: Hardcover

Age Range: 5 to 8 years

ISBN: 039552024X

Pages: 32

Pub. Date: September 1991

Illustrator: Allen Say

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, MA

The watercolor illustrations give this book a soothing affect. A Japanese boy celebrates his first Christmas with his American born mother. The story intermingles two traditions effectively.

Shiloh Season

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Genre: Picture Book

Format: Hardcover

Age Range: 8 to 12 years

ISBN: 0689806477

Pages: 120

Pub. Date: August 1996

Illustrator: Barry Moser

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's

The sequel to Reynolds' award winning novel continues the conflict between the Preston's and Judd Travers. Shiloh saves Judd and Marty slowly has an affect on the downtrodden man.

The Cloud Book

Tomie de Paola

Genre: Picture Book

Format: Hardcover

Age Range: 5 to 8 years

ISBN: 823402592

Pages: 30

Pub. Date: September 1, 1975

Illustrator: Tomie de Paola

Publisher: Holiday House

Tomie describes nine different types of clouds. He also includes Greek myths and folktales. Illustrations done in watercolor.

Spotted Eagle and Black Crow: A Lakota Legend

Emery Bernhard

Genre: Picture Book

Format: Hardcover

Age Range: 8 to 10 years

ISBN: 823410072

Pages: 32

Pub. Date: March 1, 1993

Illustrator: Durga Bernhard

Publisher: Holiday House Inc.

An unsuccessful attempt at traditional Lakota illustrations. Redesigned folktale about Black Crow who leaves his brother Spotted Eagle near a cliff side eagle's nest to die. Spotted Eagle returns in time for a battle in which Black Crow dies leaving his wife, who marries Spotted Eagle. This story is not written in traditional Lakota style. Illustrations rendered in primitive pastels.

The Wretched Stone

Chris Van Allsburg

Genre: Picture Book

Format: Hardcover

Age Range: 7 to 13 years

ISBN: 395533074

Pages: 32

Pub. Date: September 1, 1991

Illustrator: Chris Van Allsburg

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin, Boston, MA

Illustrations done in oil reflect a sense of mystery. The crew of the Rita Ann discovers a strange glowing stone and is mesmerized. The captain is left to navigate on his own during a storm.