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Harper, Jamie
8 Reviews
(3)
PS
Young Miles brings his foot-powered car to a race at school and finds himself in competition with Indie and her electric Speedster 660. When Indie's car has technical difficulties, Miles generously gives up his chance to win by offering her a ride. Sprightly collages, created with block prints and mixed media, complement the brisk, good-natured story.
Reviewer: Martha Sibert
(4)
K-3
Miss Mingo the flamingo takes her students on a hike, but the weather doesn't cooperate. Hail, rain, and snow create different problems for each of the animals; Harper provides sidebar explanations of animal traits as the story progresses. At times these explanations slow the narrative, but fans of the Miss Mingo books won't mind. Lively art accompanies the tale.
Reviewer: Pearl Higgins
(3)
PS
"Miles puts on his seat belt. CHECK. Cranks the key. CHECK." Seated at the wheel of his yellow foot-powered car, Miles sets off on a lively, imaginative drive down the sidewalk to preschool. Short, present-tense sentences with plenty of sound effects help convey the action. Pleasing mixed-media collages show carefree Miles with hair blowing in the breeze (Mom's not far behind).
Reviewer: Martha Sibert
(3)
K-3
Miss Mingo, assisted by Fire Chief Grizzly, teaches her class the basics of fire safety. Each member of the animal-menagerie class reacts the way it would if frightened in the wild: Snake hisses, Panda barks, Elephant trumpets, Octopus squirts, and so on; small-font sidebar text provides more detail. Cheery watercolor and ink illustrations depict the students learning to follow the rules.
Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty
(3)
K-3
Miss Mingo (the flamingo) has a classroom menagerie of self-conscious students. To get the ball rolling on the first day, she begins by sharing a fact about herself--and all flamingos: "I always eat upside down." Her students respond in kind: "I may be tiny, but I'm super strong," Ant announces. Whimsical watercolor and ink illustrations are entertaining and informative.
Reviewer: Elizabeth Shaver
(4)
K-3
Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but Grace is sick of her little sister's constant attempts to be just like her. After Grace's hero-worship of her swim coach is exposed, she has more empathy for and patience with her sister. The story takes a long time to get to its point, but the lighthearted illustrations accompany the text swimmingly.
Reviewer: Kitty Flynn
(4)
K-3
The eldest of three children riffs on what she considers is wrong with her parents: they sleep late instead of playing, they're always tidying, etc. The book's target audience seems to be harried parents, as their kids will know that the school-age narrator wouldn't truly be confounded by her parents' ways. The loose, pastel-colored images feature humorous asides.
Reviewer: Nell Beram
(3)
PS
Following the pattern of the traditional rhyme, Harper's version tells of a lady who, in pursuit of a star, uses many modes of transportation (roller skates, a rocket) to collect one. The whimsical story is illustrated with distinctive stylized illustrations. Harper draws flat, simple shapes outlined in unbroken black lines but gives depth to her art with patterned backgrounds. Equally outlandish, both art and text are well matched.
Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth
8 reviews
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