Reviews for Kane Miller Titles April 18 – April 22

Hush Little Beachcomber

Booklist (May 1, 2011)

The song “Hush, Little Baby” goes on vacation as it

moves to the beach. Here, a multicultural cast of

characters makes its way to the seaside. Some kids

“don’t say a word” and then “sit and watch that

small shore bird.” And if that shore bird runs away?

“Let’s wade out in the cool sea spray.” The penciland-wash artwork takes on the look and feel of

children’s own pictures, yet there is no doubt this is

done by a practiced hand. Portraying adults and

children of many ethnicities having an outing, this

should have wide appeal. The song is not referenced anywhere except in the title, so

even those familiar with it may not realize at first that this is an homage. Once they do, it

will be easy to put the nicely scanning lines within the framework of the familiar melody.

Those not wishing to actually sing will certainly have a lilt to their reading.

The Bloomswell Diaries

Reading Review (April 18, 2011)

http://www.readingreview.com/youngreader/bloomswelldiaries.ht

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The Bloomswell Diaries is an interesting book that I found myself

really enjoying. The story seems to place in the 1940's or some time

close to that. But, the story doesn't seem to take place in our reality.

Why do I say that? I say this because there are tinmen in the story.

The tinmen are robots that are used for all kinds of things and seem

to be quite plentiful all over the world. So, this story seems to take

place in an alternate reality to our own reality. Cool . . . I like that.

This novel is the first book in a series, but I'm not sure how many books there will be

before the story concludes. As for the storytelling, I quite enjoyed the plot and the

writing and found all of the characters to be interesting. Young Readers will instantly

bond with Benjamin Bloomswell and root him on as he evades the bad guys as he

makes his way to Switzerland with his new-found friends, Mr. Holiday and Whip.

Louis L. Buitendag has created an interesting world full with an old-time feel that can

also seem a little menacing. At first I thought the story had the feel of the books in A

Series of Unfortunate Events. But after a while I found this not to be true. This book has its

own distinctive feel and it isn't quite gloomy like the series just mentioned. Yet, I could

draw some interesting comparisons, but I won't. Let's just say that I found the story to be

highly entertaining and quite a fun read.

I would like to know more about the tinmen. I cannot quite figure out how they shoved

Ben inside of one. I look at the tinman on the cover and just don't see how he could fit

inside one of them. There isn't much information in this book about the tinmen and I can

only hope that we will learn more about them in future books in this series. The artwork

on the book cover is in a style that I really enjoy. Plus, I think the artist, Adam Ziskie, make 2

Ben look like Charlie from the 1971 movie, Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I

also think that is kinda cool.

Overall, The Bloomswell Diaries is a great start to series that has a lot of promise. The

book ends and Ben still has to go off and find his parents. So, the story is far from over. I

cannot wait to see what adventures Ben will find in the next book.

Old Abe, Eagle Hero

San Francisco Book Review (April 11, 2011)

http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/childrens/old-abe-eaglehero-the-civil-war%E2%80%99s-most-famous-mascot/

Old Abe, Eagle Hero is a slice of the Civil War that will capture the hearts

of the youngest readers. Patrick Young, great-grandson of Captain

Victor Wolf, commander of Company C of the 8th Wisconsin Volunteer

Infantry, writes the story of that company’s mascot, a bald eagle. Old

Abe was sent to war in place of a man with a bad leg. Raised from an eaglet, “… the

soldiers loved Old Abe. They taught him to shake hands and to drink water from a

canteen.” The courageous eagle fought in twenty-five major battles. He dragged a

fellow soldier to safety and was instrumental in capturing a group of confederate

soldiers. Old Abe flew above battles and inspired his company to fight harder.

Confederates tried to capture him, but failed. After the war, Old Abe retired a national

hero and lived out his days in a two-room apartment.

Artist Anne Lee beautifully captures Old Abe’s playful antics in watercolor and ink

illustrations. Written simply, yet “gloriously,” each page shares a fascinating nugget of

the eagle’s story and gently introduces children to the Civil War.