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McClure, Nikki
6 Reviews
(3)
K-3
At high tide--six long hours away--a boy and his family will launch their raft. As the boy helps build the raft, he observes shoreline animals. McClure naturally integrates facts about wildlife and raft-building into the boy's excited present-tense narrative. Bold black-and-white cut-paper illustrations (accented with water-blue and pink) and fine-lined spot art detail the teeming life at water's edge. Websites.
Reviewer: Katie Bircher
(4)
PS
A child plays inside for hours but finally moves outside to play "in" the rain. "Now I only want to stay out. Outside. Outdoors. Out. Out. Out." McClure illustrates the simple, spare text with dramatic, beautifully designed cut-paper art; the story itself, and the main character, are much less compelling.
Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth
(3)
PS
McClure follows a mother cat and kitten through their day with a series of one-word-per-page actions ("Listen / Explore / Hunt..."). The expressive, striking cut-paper illustrations are entirely black and white except for well-placed touches of sky blue, which reinforce the natural setting. Very new readers will enjoy navigating the simple story arc on their own.
Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby
(4)
PS
A little girl sneaks an apple into daycare then forgets it on the playground. The apple is put in the compost and sprouts the following spring as a seedling. Although the one-word-per-page text ("Fall / Find / Sneak / Hide...") makes choices that may perplex young readers, McClure's dynamic black-and-white cut-paper images with red accents are a sure draw.
Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam
(3)
K-3
In this homage to local, small-scale farming, a boy shopping with his mother at the farmers' market describes the sources of the items they buy. The narrative alternates between conventional picture book storytelling and detailed (somewhat lengthy) descriptions of food production. McClure's intricate cut-paper illustrations successfully express her appreciation for fresh food and the people who cultivate it.
Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth
(3)
PS
A little boy, waiting for summer, repeatedly asks his mother if the season has arrived. "Not yet" is her constant reply, followed by a description of a sign of summer's imminence. Handsome cut-paper images, complemented on each spread by a single color, illustrate her responses as the blossoming spring leads to summer. The simple, patterned tale progresses as naturally as one season does to another.
Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden
6 reviews
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