The traditional folk lullaby is given an Appalachian setting in which the pictures tell their own story. All is peaceful and quiet as baby is bedded down, until an older sibling comes along and purposefully catapults the chain of events by abruptly rocking the cradle. The baby awakens, howling, and won’t stop crying. The young girl prompts her father to join her in finding the old peddler with the cart, from whom they buy a mockingbird that won’t sing, a looking glass that breaks, a billy goat that won’t pull, etc., all in an effort to distract and calm the baby. Most of the action takes place in front of an old-fashioned hearth, inside a candlelit log cabin, which sets the story in a bygone era. Expressive faces offer plenty of detail, while the dusky tones match the intended nighttime hush. Colors brighten as dawn appears and a tuckered-out family collapses in a heap after a stunning fall that finally quiets the baby. A funny, earthy interpretation, with plenty of scenic details to pore over. (Picture book/folklore. 3-6)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-201429-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1999
In a book that shows one kind of conflict resolution, Hugo, a shy frog with a small croak, learns to be more assertive with the help of a duck. Hugo lives in terror of the big frogs, especially Pop Eyes, a bully who dumps Hugo into the pond upside down, snatches his stick, and splashes him. Duck teaches Hugo to quack loudly when threatened, and the next time the bully frogs come around, Hugo opens his mouth and bellows “QUACK!” The result of this surprising emission is that birds scatter, butterflies flutter, fish flap, and the bully frogs fall into the pond. Church’s art gives the frogs, fish, snails, and worms of this story bright colors and ping-pong-ball eyes, plus the requisite goofy expressions. A funny story, with surprises that will have toddlers giggling. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: Dec. 1, 1999
ISBN: 1-86233-093-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
Hopping is not hard, for a frog, but when he asks other animals to join him, he finds that bats flap, lobsters snap, and dust flies when an especially large rhinoceros stomps. None of the creatures can do what the frog does so well, until he meets a rabbit, and it becomes a friendship bound by bounding. Vere’s creatures are reminiscent of Sandra Boynton’s: smiling, bright, and lively, unrestrained by this board book’s small dimensions. A hopping good time. (Board book. 1-4)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-531-30131-1
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Orchard
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1999
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