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Karas, G. Brian
9 Reviews
(2)
K-3
The first section of this enlightening and entertaining behind-the-scenes story of a farmers' market--"On the Farm"--provides a sunny glimpse into the operations of three types of farms. The second--"At the Market"--brings the farmers together early the next morning. Gouache, acrylic, and pencil illustrations are rich with the colors of a bountiful harvest, and a cheerful camaraderie shines throughout.
Reviewer: Pam Yosca
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 2016
(2)
K-3
In 1775 a white oak tree sprouts, and for more than two hundred years it stands as a landmark, witnessing two centuries of transformation in American life. Karas's illustrations show the same location every twenty-five years, unobtrusively keeping track with an expanding timeline at the bottom of each double-page spread. Pencil, gouache, and acrylic illustrations allow readers to see how generations alter the landscape.
Reviewer: Betty Carter
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2014
(2)
K-3
In simple, colloquial language ("'Who are you?'...'I'm your mother,' said Rhea. 'Give me a hug.' But...'You missed all my birthdays!' said Zeus"), Karas renders myth into farce, with cartoonlike characters ranging from the appealing boy god to his monstrous dad. Amusing (if at times a bit scary), this is a singularly irreverent take on an ancient creation story.
Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 2010
(1)
PS
Cheery text welcomes readers to the Village Garage, where a diverse crew of municipal workers happily tackle jobs around town. Truck fanatics will dig the heavy-duty vehicles; for the less truck-enthused, Karas's conversational narrative and friendly art also have appeal. Few things fascinate young children more than watching workers on the job; visiting The Village Garage is almost as good as the real thing.
Reviewer: Kitty Flynn
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
July, 2010
(2)
K-3
Tackling a grand science concept for young readers, Karas covers the earth's rotation and revolution, space and time, hemispheres, and gravity. The spare text alternates between technical descriptions and personal experiences. Artistic renderings of the earth and its cycles introduce diagrams and offer concrete images showing what happens as day turns into night, seasons change, and the earth rotates on its axis.
Reviewer: Betty Carter
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2005
(3)
K-3
A book that begins "I am the Atlantic Ocean" has a lot to live up to, but Karas does a fair job of justifying his ambition. The ocean's monologue never strays into the fanciful, instead finding its poetry in demonstrable truth: "The moon / so far out in space / pulls at me / and then lets go...." While the format is large and the page design expansive, the fresh and playful illustrations display a becoming modesty with no loss to majesty.
Reviewer: Roger Sutton
(4)
K-3
When his teacher assigns a week-long art project, Fred is unable to actualize his grandiose plans and has nothing to show on Friday. Frustrated, he is told to draw how he feels and suddenly becomes inspired. Though the story gets off to a slow start, Fred's transformation from creatively challenged to classroom artist is fulfilling, and the subdued palette of the illustrations reflects Fred's moods nicely.
Reviewer: Mark Adam
(2)
K-3
"When Bebe got ready for bed, she put on her pajamas and her armor." Childlike art captures the full range of emotion, and with intuitive accuracy, Karas realizes not only Bebe's nightmare visions of aliens, but also her loathing of her tormenting brother Walter. Bebe devises a plan to rid her world of aliens--and Walter; Karas's resolution to both problems demonstrates psychological acumen as well as a satisfying payback.
Reviewer: Susan P. Bloom
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
July, 2000
(1)
PS
Karas gives character to the wind that brings its sweeping ways to a tidy boy's tidy town. Unlike the townsfolk who resent the wind's intrusion, Bernard awakens to a world beyond tidiness and is energized as well as disheveled by the wind, whose breath contains the past of Viking ships, dinosaurs, and "long-ago kings and queens." The wind, rendered in erratic swirls, blows across the pages in this vivid, blustery book.
Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.
9 reviews
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