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Austin, Mike
5 Reviews
(1)
PS
As in Fire Engine No. 9, Austin live-streams an intense rescue mission: Rescue Squad No. 9's helicopter and boat crews race into a storm to find a stranded kid sailor and a Dalmatian. Dynamic illustrations and forceful text ("S O S / MAYDAY! / MAYDAY! / MAYDAY!"), skillfully incorporated in a propulsive, left-to-right design, telegraph the situation's urgency. Practical, helpful "Water Smart" tips are appended.
Reviewer: Kitty Flynn
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2016
(1)
PS
Firefighter-wannabes ride along as Engine No. 9 races across town to put out a fire. The simple emphatic text includes many forceful sound words ("WHOOSH"; "WEOOO! WEOOO!"); text placement, color, and size are integral parts of the dynamic illustrations. A concluding celebratory spread balances the story's near-crisis, only revealed once it's safely over. A helpful list of safety tips will reassure anxious listeners.
Reviewer: Kitty Flynn
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2015
(4)
K-3
After eating their way through mounds of school buses, bed frames, toilets, toxic waste, and other trash, two massive junk-munching robots return a junkyard to its natural state by planting gardens, building playgrounds, and creating lakes. Digital illustrations go from appropriately hectic scribbled messes to brightly colored natural scenes, while the falteringly metered but highly energetic rhymes cleverly deliver the environmental message.
Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden
(3)
K-3
Excited for a new adventure but also a little nervous, Blue and friends (Monsters Love Colors) head to the first day of monster school. They learn new things, make friends, and have such a blast that they eagerly look forward to day two. Brightly colored scribbles and splashes illustrate the joys of elementary school with a humor that will excite any first-timer.
Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden
(4)
PS
"Dribble! Scribble! Mix, dance, and wiggle!" A bevy of boldly colored monsters cavort with crayons and paint in primary colors and then blend them into new colors in order to give some drab gray monsters a new look. The color-mixing lesson is only thinly disguised, but preschoolers will still want to reach out and touch the effervescent, splattered mixed-media illustrations.
Reviewer: Nell Beram
5 reviews
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