There’s never a dull moment in Happy County, and that’s just the way kids like it.
Porcupines on the run lead to some seriously prickly problems.
Beloved characters return in this, the third in Long’s Happy County series, after Hello, World! (2020) and Sun and Moon Together (2020). When the local water tower springs a leak, Pauly and Polly’s Porcupine Playground floods, causing the frolicking little porcupines to scatter. Now it’s up to the County Mounties to save the day by rounding them up amid much alliteration. Trouble is, they have no idea how to entice porcupines back into the fold. Nothing appears to lure them back (not even Parmesan pimento parfait) until Miss Beverly, the bookmobile librarian, arrives at a prickly pear solution. Supplementing this action are both silly scenes and informative sections (an introduction to “Types of Signs” covers regulatory, guide, and warning signs, for instance) that give the book a distinctly Richard Scarry–esque vibe. Long appears to be steering away from the information-rich text of Sun and Moon Together, however, preferring to unabashedly embrace the series’ silliness and sight gags. Even gags for adults sneak their way in, like the Buckstars coffee-chain ad featuring an antlered mascot and the You Knighted airplane that’s full of folks in armor. Colorful cartoon art guarantees that young eyeballs will stay enthused. (This book was reviewed digitally with 12-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 28.4% of actual size.)
There’s never a dull moment in Happy County, and that’s just the way kids like it. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-76598-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano/Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Dec. 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2021
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
Unusual illustrations enhance an engaging, informative narrative.
What can a worm do?
A little worm sets off on a “twirl” to “see the world.” But when it overhears a human referring to it as “just a worm,” its feelings are hurt. The worm asks other critters—including a caterpillar, a spider, a dragonfly—what they can do. After each answer (turn into a butterfly, spin silk thread, fly), the worm becomes more and more dejected because it can’t do any of these things. “Maybe I am just a worm.” But then the worm encounters a ladybug, who eats aphids and other insects, and the worm realizes that it eats dead plants and animals and keeps gardens clean. And though the worm can’t pollinate like the bee, it does create castings (poop) that help plants grow and stay healthy. These abilities, the worm realizes in triumph, are important! The cleverness of this story lies in its lighthearted, effective dissemination of information about various insects as well as earthworms. It doesn’t hurt that the expressive little worm is downright adorable, with emotions that will resonate with anyone who has felt unimportant. The stunning illustrations are done in quilled paper—a centuries-old technique that involves assembling strips of colored paper into shapes—which adds sparkle and originality. A tutorial of how to make a quilled butterfly and a page on earthworm facts round out the book. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Unusual illustrations enhance an engaging, informative narrative. (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 14, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-06-321256-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
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