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THE CAMP KNOCK KNOCK MYSTERY

Name: THE CAMP KNOCK KNOCK MYSTERY
Author: Betsy Duffey
ISBN: 0-385-32301-8

by Betsy Duffey & illustrated by Fiona Dunbar ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 1997

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In this entry in the First Choice Chapter Book series, Willie is the reigning knock-knock king. Last year he knew all the best jokes. This year, though, Crow threatens to usurp his title. Willie isn't worried, for he has a secret weapon—a book of knock-knock jokes. But when he opens his backpack, the book is missing. What has Crow done with it? Crow will only talk in jokes, so most of the communication comes in the form of knock- knock variations, including the clues he leaves as to the book's whereabouts. On the last day of camp, Willie and his friend Slug piece together the clues' common thread—the word trunk—and find the book on top of a neatly folded stack of clean clothes in Willie's footlocker. That means Willie hasn't changed clothes all week, so everybody pitches in to get them dirty before his mother arrives. This is a lightweight work from Duffey (Virtual Cody, p. 799, etc.), but it's neatly plotted and cleverly written. The full-color cartoons provide visual clues for readers and help further smooth the path to independent reading. (Fiction. 6-8)

Pub Date: July 1, 1997

ISBN: 0-385-32301-8

Page Count: 48

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1997

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
CAT DIARIES
by Betsy Byars & Betsy Duffey & Laurie Myers & illustrated by Erik Brooks

- BOOK REVIEW
DOG DIARIES
by Betsy Byars ; Betsy Duffey & Laurie Myers & illustrated by Erik Brooks

- BOOK REVIEW
THE SOS FILE
by Betsy Byars ; Betsy Duffey & Laurie Myers & illustrated by Arthur Howard

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RAPUNZEL

adapted by Rachel Isadora & illustrated by Rachel Isadora ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2008

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Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your dreads! Isadora once again plies her hand using colorful, textured collages to depict her fourth fairy tale relocated to Africa. The narrative follows the basic story line: Taken by an evil sorceress at birth, Rapunzel is imprisoned in a tower; Rapunzel and the prince “get married” in the tower and she gets pregnant. The sorceress cuts off Rapunzel’s hair and tricks the prince, who throws himself from the tower and is blinded by thorns. The terse ending states: “The prince led Rapunzel and their twins to his kingdom, where they were received with great joy and lived happily every after.” Facial features, clothing, dreadlocks, vultures and the prince riding a zebra convey a generic African setting, but at times, the mixture of patterns and textures obfuscates the scenes. The textile and grain characteristic of the hewn art lacks the elegant romance of Zelinksy’s Caldecott version. Not a first purchase, but useful in comparing renditions to incorporate a multicultural aspect. (Picture book/fairy tale. 6-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2008

ISBN: 978-0-399-24772-9

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2008

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
DO I HAVE TO WEAR A COAT?
by Rachel Isadora ; illustrated by Rachel Isadora

- BOOK REVIEW
MY DOG LAUGHS
by Rachel Isadora ; illustrated by Rachel Isadora

- BOOK REVIEW
I JUST WANT TO SAY GOOD NIGHT
by Rachel Isadora ; illustrated by Rachel Isadora

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BUBBA, THE COWBOY PRINCE

A FRACTURED TEXAS TALE

by Helen Ketteman & illustrated by James Warhola ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 1997

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A Cinderella parody features the off-the-wall, whang-dang Texas hyperbole of Ketteman (The Year of No More Corn, 1993, etc.) and the insouciance of Warhola, who proves himself only too capable of creating a fairy godcow; that she's so appealingly whimsical makes it easy to accept the classic tale's inversions. The protagonist is Bubba, appropriately downtrodden and overworked by his wicked stepdaddy and loathsome brothers Dwayne and Milton, who spend their days bossing him around. The other half of the happy couple is Miz Lurleen, who owns ``the biggest spread west of the Brazos.'' She craves male companionship to help her work the place, ``and it wouldn't hurt if he was cute as a cow's ear, either.'' There are no surprises in this version except in the hilarious way the premise plays itself out and in Warhola's delightful visual surprises. When Lurleen tracks the bootless Bubba down, ``Dwayne and Milton and their wicked daddy threw chicken fits.'' Bubba and babe, hair as big as a Texas sun, ride off to a life of happy ranching, and readers will be proud to have been along for the courtship. (Picture book/folklore. 6-8)