Dinosaurs, Dragons, and Other Awesome Beasts
Staff -- School Library Journal, 11/1/1998
This month's Curriculum Connector is the last of this series of columns that offered thematic groupings of SLJ's Best Books of past years. All of the Curriculum Connectors are posted on the SLJ website (www.slj.com/curriculum.articles.) and we hope they continue to be useful for selection and programming purposes.
Our final column features creatures real and imaginary. They take the forms of tricksters, monsters, helpers, and, in the cases of the real-life beasts, open gateways to scientific discovery of the past. The month in which the original review appeared follows each annotation. -- TEJ
ALEXANDER, Lloyd. The House Gobbaleen. illus. by Diane Goode. Dutton. Tr $15.99. ISBN 0-525-45289-3.
PreS-Gr-4DA wise cat rescues his dimwitted master from a cantankerous, conniving goblin in this turnabout tale of luck and the folly of wishes. A perfect marriage of waggish dialogue and droll art. (Sept. 1995)
BUNTING, Eve. Night of the Gargoyles. illus. by David Wiesner. Clarion. RTE $14.95. ISBN 0-395-66553-1.
K-Gr 3DAs evening falls, the grotesquely carved guardians on an art museum rise up to peer and prowl, as they gleefully terrify the security guard before reclaiming their perches. The black-and-white pastelsÑeerie, unusual, and utterly creepyÑare spine-chillingly perfect. (Oct. 1994)
GILLETTE, J. Lynette. Dinosaur Ghosts: The Mystery of Coelophysis. illus. by Douglas Henderson. Dial. Tr $15.99. ISBN 0-8037-1721-0; PLB $15.89. ISBN 0-8037-1722-9.
Gr 4-6DWhat catastrophe caused hundreds of small dinosaurs to perish 225 million years ago? Hypotheses are carefully considered and illustrated in this analytical look at how scientists explore the past. (Apr. 1997)
GRAY, Luli. Falcon's Egg. Houghton/Ticknor& Fields. Tr $13.95. ISBN 0-395-71128-2.
Gr 3-6DPlaying in Central Park one day, a lonely 11-year-old girl finds a red-hot egg that magically changes her life. The demanding young dragon that hatches provides the fanciful elements to more subtle realities. (Sept. 1995)
HAN, Suzanne Crowder. The Rabbit's Escape. illus. by Yumi Heo. Holt. Tr $15.95. ISBN 0-8050-2675-4.
K-Gr 3DIn this gratifying version of a familiar folktale, trickery is exposed, faithfulness is rewarded, and the ailing Dragon King is cured via some ginseng root. The primitive, stylized artwork transports readers to a magical kingdom under the sea. (June 1995)
HUTTON, Warwick, retel. Theseus and the Minotaur. illus. by retel. S & S/Margaret K. McElderry Bks. Tr $13.95. ISBN 0-689-50473-X.
Gr 2-5DThe drama of TheseusOs sorrowful heroOs return to Athens is given full force in HuttonOs fabulous retelling of the Greek myth. A prodigious interplay of sea, sun, sky, and shadow creates the backdrop for this lustrous version of human fallibility and godly interference. (Oct. 1989)
LAUBER, Patricia. Living with Dinosaurs. illus. by Douglas Henderson. S & S/Bradbury. PLB $15.95. ISBN 0-02-754521-0.
Gr 3-6DA sensory tour that examines the awe-inspiring inhabitants of sea, swamp, forest, and highlands. Gouache and pastel paintings plus attention to detail make this ancient realm so accessible that readers will feel as though they're breathing prehistoric air. (May 1991)
LAUBER, Patricia. The News about Dinosaurs. S & S/Bradbury. PLB $17. ISBN 0-02-754520-2.
Gr 4-6DNothing but good news hereDthe most current scientific thinking is offered in concise, straightforward text, supported by excellent illustrations from leading experts in the field. Buy extras. (Mar. 1989)
MAHY, Margaret. The Great White Man-Eating Shark: A Cautionary Tale. illus. by Jonathan Allen. Dial. pap. $13.99. ISBN 0-8037-0749-5.
K-Gr 4DIt's love at first bite when a boy in a shark costume attracts the attention of a real shark who has romantic designs on him. A quirky combination of Jaws and The Boy Who Cried Wolf. (Jan. 1990)
MARTIN, Rafe. Will's Mammoth. illus. by Stephen Gammell. Putnam. RTE $15.95. ISBN 0-399-21627-8.
PreS-Gr 2DOnce-extinct mammoths are alive and well and roaming the snowy ranges of WillOs neighborhood in this grandly imaginative romp. Readers will ride along with Will as this 20th-century rascal demonstrates that extraordinary adventures are always possible. (Oct. 1989)
MAYNE, William. Hob and the Goblins. illus. by Norman Messenger. DK Ink. Tr $12.95. ISBN 1-56458-713-4.
K-Gr 4DHob, a helpful house spirit, moves into a new family's enchanted cottage and must confront an army of goblins. A spellbinding fantasy with sparkling language that makes the existence of fairies and witches seem perfectly natural. (Nov. 1994)
PRELUTSKY, Jack. Monday's Troll. illus. by Peter S's. Greenwillow. Tr $16. ISBN 0-688-09644-1; PLB $15.93. ISBN 0-688-14373-3.
Gr 3-6DPlayful language and inventive images abound in this enchanted world inhabited by wizards, ogres, giants, and witches. (Apr. 1996)
SATTLER, Helen Roney. Stegosaurs: The Solar-Powered Dinosaurs. illus. by Turi MacCombie. Lothrop. Tr $15. ISBN 0-688-10055-4; PLB $14.93. ISBN 0-688-10056-2.
Gr 2-6DFascinating, up-to-date information about 11 varieties of stegosaurs that dispels the stereotype that these small-brained creatures were less than intelligent. A dynamic success. (Oct. 1992)
SêS, Peter. Komodo! illus. by author. Greenwillow. Tr $16. ISBN 0-688-11583-7; PLB $15.93. ISBN 0-688-11584-5.
PreS-Gr 3DReaders are asked to find a young dragon fancier in his crowded class picture, then travel with him to the island of Komodo where the last dragons live. Here they can count the camouflaged critters hiding in their jungle habitat. Big printDand big funDin support of literacy and numeracy. (July 1993)
STEIG, William. Shrek! illus. by author. Farrar. Tr $10.95. ISBN 0-374-36877-5.
Gr 2-4DA hideous fire-breathing monster sets off to find a suitably ugly princess with whom he can live "horribly ever after." Steig's inimitable wit and artistic dash have never been sharper or more expertly blended. (Dec. 1990)
TEAGUE, Mark. The Field Beyond the Outfield. Scholastic. RTE $13.95. ISBN 0-590-45173-1.
K-Gr 4DAs Ludlow Grebe takes to the outfield for the Oswald County Hornets, heOs thinking intently about the game -- the game with the giant insects that's going on in his mind's eye. This pint-sized Walter Mitty exercises his overactive imagination with outlandish results. (June 1992)
WILLARD, Nancy, retel. Beauty and the Beast. illus. by Barry Moser. Harcourt. RTE $19.95. ISBN 0-15-206052-9.
Gr 3-6DWith its towering combination of powerful and evocative prose, this is a splendid version of an old favorite with a new twist: it's set in turn-of-the-century New York. (Oct. 1992)
WREDE, Patricia. Dealing with Dragons. Harcourt/Jane Yolen Bks. Tr $15.95. ISBN 0-15-222900-0.
Gr 5-9DA feisty princess with a mind of her own shuns regal training and protocol, preferring to volunteer herself as a dragon's servant and companion. It's a spirited, rollicking story with clever fairy tale references subtly tied to elements of magic, wizardry, and the satisfying triumph of good over evil. (Dec. 1990)
YOUNG, Ed, tr. Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China. illus. by translator. Philomel. RTE $15.95. ISBN 0-399-21619-7.
Gr 1-5DWith forceful impressionistic paintings, Young artfully entices readers across the fairy-tale threshold into a story of three girls' fearless battle of wits with a famished wolf. (Dec. 1989)
