Slight but exquisite, this lovely hybrid will supplement more comprehensive approaches to the topic.
Striking illustrations and lyrical descriptions will please fans of big cats, but this combination of pictures, fiction and facts may not have quite enough substance to inspire repeat readings or engage general readers.
Morris’ beautiful watercolors are clearly the major draw. Starting with a marmalade house cat and moving through a series of nine wild felines, each double-page spread shows a different kind of cat. Individuals, pairs and parent-child combinations appear in a variety of geographic settings. The central premise, that each scene is a dream of the sleeping house cat, feels a smidge predictable, while the repetitive start to each section of text, “I dream…” begins to pall after the first few pages. Another minor quibble is the confusion that may arise from the cat dreaming of being both what appears to be a mother puma with her three cubs and, a few page turns later, a male lion lazing in the sun. Like the paintings, however, the quality of the text is distinctive enough to overcome these weaknesses. One to three sentences poetically describe setting and actions and in some cases allude to specific situations—for example, the endangered status of the Amur leopard. A final double-page spread offers thumbnail paintings of the different cats with miscellaneous facts appended.
Slight but exquisite, this lovely hybrid will supplement more comprehensive approaches to the topic. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: May 9, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-84780-135-7
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013
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BOOK REVIEW
Young readers will be “antsy” to join the hero on her satisfying escapade.
An ant explores her world.
Addie Ant’s ready for adventure. Despite some trepidation about leaving the Tomato Bed, where she lives with her aunt, she plucks up her courage and ventures forth across the garden to the far side of the shed. On her journey, she meets her pal Lewis Ladybug, who greets her warmly, points the way, and offers sage advice. When Addie arrives at her destination, she’s welcomed by lovely Beatrix Butterfly and enjoys an “ant-tastic” helping of watermelon. Beatrix also provides Addie with take-home treats and a map for the “Cricket Express,” which will take her straight home. Arriving at the terminal, Addie’s delighted to meet another friend, Cleo Cricket, whose carriage service returns Addie home in “two hops.” After eating a warm tomato soup dinner, Addie falls asleep and dreams of future exploits. Adorable though not terribly original, this story brims with sensuous pleasures, both textual and visual. Kids who declare that they dislike fruits or veggies may find their mouths watering at the mentions and sights of luscious tomatoes, peas, beans, watermelons, berries, and other foodstuffs; insect-averse readers may likewise think differently after encountering these convivial, wide-eyed characters. And those flowers and herbs everywhere! The highlights are the colors that burst from the pages. Addie’s an endearing, empowering character who reassures children they’ll be able to take those first independent steps successfully.
Young readers will be “antsy” to join the hero on her satisfying escapade. (author’s note about ants) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 9, 2024
ISBN: 9781797228914
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
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BOOK REVIEW
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