From CRUSH to AWW.
Caveboy meets cavegirl in Ferry and Kuefler’s rambunctious tale.
Neander is a “typical caveboy,” whether he’s chasing giant mammoth butterflies or spending time with his beloved pet rock, Rock. Then he spots Neanne, a short and hairy—thus, “perfect”—cavegirl. After a little grinning and groaning, which his parents correctly diagnose as symptoms of a “crush,” a smitten Neander runs off to court the elusive cavegirl. He first heads to the Field of Bees to snatch some flowers. In front of Neanne, Neander plops down the flowers and then…CRUSH! He obliterates the flowers. An unimpressed Neanne dashes away, leaving behind a disappointed Neander. It’s time for a “grander” plan. Next up is the Waves of Salt, where Neander scoops out a massive conch shell. He struts back to Neanne, deposits his offering beside her house, and then…CRUSH! Unsurprisingly, Neander’s attempts at romance are not successful, but half the fun of the story comes from his efforts to impress his eventual new friend. Though the premise relies on traditional gender roles to a disappointing degree, Ferry’s joyful, plucky words practically guarantee exciting storytimes. Bolstered by Kuefler’s smooth, colorfully sparse pictures, Neander and Neanne’s story—a mini-saga between two bushy-haired, light-skinned prehistoric children—delivers belly laughs amid mild twists and enormous fun.
From CRUSH to AWW. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3656-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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