Riley's story isn't too bewitching, but the colorful characters along the way are worth a look. (iPad storybook app. 3-6)
Plump with clever visuals but never really reaching great heights in any other areas, this trip to a fantasy land isn't as magical as the title suggests.
Baby Riley sits in a wicker basket imagining a faraway cupcake palace and the strange inhabitants of a lush, surreal world, while Mommy cleans house. The story begins in the home, but even here, there's elements of whimsy. The washing machine churns and blows bubbles. A sock monkey announces, "I am a sock monkey, oo-oo-ah!" when touched. Far less endearing is the way Riley, essentially a pre-verbal toddler, is portrayed in the narration by an adult speaking in a little-kid voice. Third-person would have been a far better choice for this story. The cupcake land itself is gorgeously rendered, with exquisite character design and surprising sound and voice effects that play differently with multiple screen touches. Sometimes these characters burst into short songs as Riley flies in her enchanted wicker basket. Grooving dinosaurs don't just look funny in their friendly pastel skin tones, they also wear cute hats and have bow ties. In an app that feels a little short and has unremarkable text that features forced rhythm and rhyme ("Look at the animals and look, a fairy! / Dancing in her ring, so happy and merry!"), it's the illustrations and their audio accompaniment that remain memorable.
Riley's story isn't too bewitching, but the colorful characters along the way are worth a look. (iPad storybook app. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2011
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Monkey Prism
Review Posted Online: Oct. 30, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2011
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren.
In talk-show host Fallon and illustrator Ordóñez’s latest picture-book collaboration, an elderly pooch waxes rhapsodic about a life well lived.
Observing Papa sitting in his chair watching TV all day, a young pup says, “I’m starting to think…you don’t do ANYTHING.” So Papa proceeds to list his accomplishments, both big and small, mundane and profound. Some are just a result of being older and physically bigger (being tall enough to reach a high shelf and strong enough to open jars); others include winning a race and performing in a band when he was younger. Eventually, the pup realizes that while Papa may have slowed down in his old age, he’s led a full life. The most satisfying thing about Papa’s life now? Watching his grandchild take center stage: “I can say lots of thoughts / but I choose to be quiet. / I’d rather you discover things and then try it.” Fallon’s straightforward text is sweetly upbeat, though it occasionally lacks flow, forcing incongruous situations together to fit the rhyme scheme (“I cook and I mow, / and I once flew a plane. // I play newspaper puzzles because it’s good for my brain”). Featuring uncluttered, colorful backgrounds, Ordóñez’s child-friendly digital art at times takes on sepia tones, evoking the sense of looking back at old photos or memories. Though the creators tread familiar ground, the love between Papa and his little one is palpable.
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781250393975
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
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Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way.
All the typical worries and excuses kids have about school are filtered through Willems’ hysterical, bus-loving Pigeon.
Told mostly in speech balloons, the bird’s monologue will have kids (and their caregivers) in stitches at Pigeon’s excuses. From already knowing everything (except whatever question readers choose to provide in response to “Go ahead—ask me a question. / Any question!”) to fearing learning too much (“My head might pop off”), Pigeon’s imagination has run wild. Readers familiar with Pigeon will recognize the muted, matte backgrounds that show off the bird’s shenanigans so well. As in previous outings, Willems varies the size of the pigeon on the page to help communicate emotion, the bird teeny small on the double-page spread that illustrates the confession that “I’m… / scared.” And Pigeon’s eight-box rant about all the perils of school (“The unknown stresses me out, dude”) is marvelously followed by the realization (complete with lightbulb thought bubble) that school is the place for students to practice, with experts, all those skills they don’t yet have. But it is the ending that is so Willems, so Pigeon, and so perfect. Pigeon’s last question is “Well, HOW am I supposed to get there, anyway!?!” Readers will readily guess both the answer and Pigeon’s reaction.
Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-368-04645-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
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