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Wallace, Nancy Elizabeth
20 Reviews
(4)
K-3
In a purposeful story, warthog Walter experiments with water and shares the experiences with his friend Willa, with whom he eventually ponders ways to conserve it; the pair creates a book called Walter and Willa's WONDERFUL Water Book summarizing what they've learned. Wallace's collage illustrations are appealing; Walter's ideas, though advanced for young children, directly introduce concepts such as surface tension.
Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian
(3)
K-3
Three mice visit a museum and observe various sculptures, appreciating shape, arrangement, dimensionality, and texture. Some sculptural terminology is introduced, and real works of art are examined--in particular, English sculptor Barbara Hepworth's Four Rectangles with Four Oblique Circles. The mice observe, sketch, and create shapes on their own. Instructions for creating paper shape sculptures and information about the featured pieces are appended.
Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo
(4)
K-3
Rabbit Minna tries to come up with the perfect collection to celebrate the one hundredth day of school. With help from her family, she gathers ten sets of different things for a picture-perfect project. The quality of some of the mixed-media illustrations is poor, but the art does help readers visualize the math concepts covered in the accessible text.
Reviewer: Bethany Templeton Klem
(4)
K-3
In another story starring Buddy and Mama Bear (Rocks! Rocks! Rocks!; Stars! Stars! Stars!), Wallace introduces readers to pond life, from cattails to damselflies, all shown in mixed-media illustrations. While the plot is forced, the book could be used as a primer in ecology for classes studying habitats. Directions for making a rock turtle are appended.
Reviewer: Lana Barnes
(4)
K-3
Mama Bear and Buddy Bear (Shells! Shells! Shells!) follow a rock trail at a nature center. At each of five stops, Mama and Buddy learn about random topics. This earth science introduction features bright mixed-media collage illustrations and a straightforward text (though the story is forced). Back matter includes suggestions for rock activities, some "rock sayings," and a list of "rocky" cities.
Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian
(4)
K-3
Bunny Minna asks her mother about stars. Enthusiastic Mom suggests a "star party" (including a "star supper"), a museum visit, and a stargazing outing. Though the story line is forced, some accurate, accessible information is dispensed through the inquisitive rabbit-children's questions and their answers. Collage illustrations effectively incorporate cut paper, acrylics, photographs, and digital images. Simple recipes and activities are included.
Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian
(4)
K-3
Mom, Dad, Minna, and Pip Bunny visit a butterfly conservatory. Their guide, Bert, tells them basic information about monarch butterflies, including their life stages and favored plants. The bright cut-paper collage illustrations are static, but supplemental drawings and small signs offering butterfly trivia as well as instructions for butterfly crafts and activities offer a decent amount of information.
Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian
(4)
K-3
Bears Buddy and Mama spend a day at the beach collecting shells, learning about them, and taking breakfast, snack, and lunch breaks. As an informational book about shells, this is useful, but the story is forced. Wallace's cut-paper illustrations showcase plenty of examples of the featured shells. The endpapers differentiate between cold- and warm-water shells.
Reviewer: Barbara Barstow
(4)
K-3
In a package from Gramps, Buddy Bear finds five bags for five days worth of activities. He starts a seed collection, fills a bird feeder, and plants some grass seed in a container with a face on it so the growing grass looks like hair. Although a bit heavy-handed for a story, the book, with its bright collage art, provides a good introduction to seeds and their growth.
Reviewer: Patricia Riley
(4)
K-3
Rabbits Minna and Pip are inspired by the customs of Valentine's Day learned at school to make and deliver cards to their neighbors. The book is part story, part history of Valentine's Day, and part card-making idea book. With so much information, it is a bit dull, but teachers will find it an approachable resource. Wallace's cut-paper collages are suitably cheerful and bright.
Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth
(4)
K-3
This simple book features Mama Bear and Buddy Bear, who go for leaf walks in spring, summer, fall, and winter. Each excursion features a dialogue with leaf information, a seasonal snack, and a joke. For this introduction to leaf lore, bright collage illustrations match the uncomplicated text; though somewhat limited, both are accurate. A craft suggestion and tree diagram, with leaf verse, are appended.
Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian
(4)
PS
A baby bunny's busy day includes bathing, eating, and playing. Brightly colored cut-paper illustrations accompany the rhyming story, while select items such as a blankie, a ball, and PJs are displayed on alternating pages. The rhyme is bland, but the sweet illustrations are well crafted. Preschoolers will enjoy naming the familiar objects.
Reviewer: Charlotte S. Huck
(4)
K-3
Minna the bunny tries to think of ideas for a school poster about recycling while her family engages in activities such as donating used clothing, composting, using cloth grocery bags, and buying products made from recycled materials. Although the ending falls a bit flat, discussion of the reduce-reuse-recycle theory beyond that of curbside recycling is refreshing, and Wallace's cut-paper art is engaging.
Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey
(4)
K-3
Pumpkin Day in this rabbit family entails a visit to a local farm where they learn about the fruit's life cycle, care, varieties, and other pumpkin lore couched in a somewhat forced story line. The clear and colorful cut-paper collage illustrations are the main attraction here, and pumpkin recipes included throughout add to the book's usefulness.
Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty
(4)
K-3
A bear asks her father where honey comes from, insisting at each response, "Before that?" until he's traced it back to the bees that produced it. Though the inquisitive bear's questions echo those of young children, the device confusingly presents the process in reverse order. Wallace's uncluttered cut-paper collages of bee-keeping bears illustrate this story, while concise sidebars add further information. A game and "honey facts" are appended.
Reviewer: Erica L. Stahler
(4)
PS
À la the game Telephone, a surprise party goes awry as planning information gets passed from one bunny to another. Luckily for all--thanks to some rather obvious missteps--the sunrise surprise works out just as well as the evening picnic originally planned. Oddly, Wallace's bright cut-paper illustrations are printed with a distracting high gloss coating.
Reviewer: Susan Halperin
(4)
PS
Translated by Annie Garcia Kaplan.
In this bilingual edition of Rabbit's Bedtime, a little rabbit reflects on "what was good about today" as he prepares to go to bed. Activities with family and friends include "Time to dance and time to sing. Time to make a special thing." Bold, crisp cut-paper illustrations add nimble details to the musical, rhyming English text, but the Spanish translation isn't as lyrical.
Reviewer: Elena Abos Alvarez-Buiza
(4)
PS
Lucy helps her neighbor Miss Mamie plant a paperwhite bulb indoors to "make spring" in the midst of winter, then they spend time together waiting for the bulb to bloom. More rewarding than the plain, linear story is the cut-paper artwork filled with details of the passage of time: the bulb's shoots grow, the days on the calendar are crossed off, and the scarves Miss Mamie knits get longer.
Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli
(4)
K-3
A family of rabbits goes to the orchard to pick apples and learns a variety of facts about growing and using apples on their trip. A recipe for applesauce, directions for making apple prints, and a song about apples are all included, making the story somewhat of a contrivance. Crisp cut-paper illustrations distinguish this book from others on the same topic.
Reviewer: Jim St. Claire
(3)
PS
Cozy rhyming text answers the bedtime question "What was good about today?" with brief reflections on a rabbit toddler's daily schedule, including "Time to laugh and time to giggle. Time to watch an inchworm wiggle." Simple, bright cut-paper illustrations of a Goodnight Moon-esque rabbit family depict both indoor and outdoor activities with enough small detail to draw the eye without overwhelming it.
Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam
20 reviews
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