NEXT PAGE PUBLISHERS
REVIEWS
Here are just some of the things people are saying about our books!
SPRING-HEELED JACK or The Terror of Louisville Part I
by RIDLEY BARNETT
"Reviving the spirit of the popular serial literature of the late 1800s, Ridley Barnett aims to thrill his readers while parsing out a sensational narrative that both entertains and informs. Creatively expanding on old newspaper accounts of bizarre unexplained aerial phenomena over the Ohio River in Louisville, he weaves in real-life events and historical figures to conjure up a believable image of a Victorian river city terrorized by something that comes bounding from above."
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~ David Dominé, Louisville, author of A Dark Room in Glitter Ball City
DO KANGAROOS SWIM?
by KEITH BARNETT HUFF
Opening with facts about Australia (from the Latin for “Southern Land”) and kangaroos (that country boasts over 60 different kinds), this tale gives the impression that it will be a nonfiction answer to the titular question. Several types of kangaroos are introduced along with some information about their physical abilities—and yes, they can swim, but mostly just to avoid predators. One gray kangaroo who loves to swim is the fictional Joey, who adores the water more than his peers. When his family prepares to relocate, his mother suggests he might find a friend to swim with in their new place. After a discouraging revelation (their new home is a desert) and an impulsive rescue, Joey eventually meets a kindred spirit who shows him a swimming hole. The switch from facts to Huff’s (For Sale by Owner, 2018) fanciful story is jarring and may make young readers doubt the things they learned in the early pages. But the author’s amusing, stylized illustrations, with Schiller’s (The Story of Little Pickle, 2017) bright colors, are consistent throughout. It’s worth perusing the book just for two textless pages—a face-off between a wicked snake and a scared turtle—that capture the emotion of the moment perfectly.
While the volume’s mix of fact and fiction may give some readers pause, others will enjoy this animal tale about friendship that features humorous images.
-KIRKUS REVIEWS