Not a reliable guide to pet care (or, for that matter, friendship)—but a typically buzzy series outing nonetheless.
It looks like curtainzzz for Fly Guy and Fly Girl when their pet humans’ new friend comes with a lizard.
New arrival Carlos’ small green pet, Annie, seems harmless enough—cute, even—but “LIZ-Z-ZARD!” and “EATZ FLYZZ!” explain terrified Fly Guy and Fly Girl to readers who might not be in the know. It seems that Carlos isn’t in the know either, as he explains to Buzz and Liz that their buzzy companions aren’t in danger because he feeds Annie on maggots. Uh oh. Even as horrified Buzz and Liz fill Carlos in on what maggots are, a brisk chase is underway elsewhere with slapstick worthy of Looney Tunes. The flies put up a stout defense against their pursuer, zipping out of her way and lifting her by the tail from a branch before letting her fall with a comical splat. They have a final face-off in a can full of rotting garbage. Happily, Annie turns out to be fonder of soggy fries than flies, and by the end prey and predator have become “friendzzies!” In the cartoon illustrations Fly Girl is pink and has a bow fastened to one antenna, but Annie shows no such gendered markers, and all three children have the same slightly toned light skin.
Not a reliable guide to pet care (or, for that matter, friendship)—but a typically buzzy series outing nonetheless. (Early reader. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-338-54925-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind.
The cool beans again step up to do a timorous fellow legume a fava…this time at the pool.
Will a rash decision to tackle the multistory super-slide lead to another embarrassing watery fail for our shy protagonist? Nope, for up the stairs right behind comes a trio of cool beans, each a different type and color, all clad in nothing but dark shades. They make an offer: “It’s not as scary if you go with friends!” As the knobby nerd explains once the thrilling ride down is done, “They all realized that I just needed some encouragement and support.” Just to make sure that both cool and uncool readers get the message, the narrator lets us know that “there are plenty of kind folks who have my back. They’re always there when I need them.” The beany bonhomie doesn’t end at the bottom of the slide, with all gliding down to the shallow end of the pool (“3 INCHES. NO DIVING”) for a splashy finale. This latest early reader starring characters from John and Oswald’s immensely popular Food Group series will be a hit with fans. Fun accessories, such as a bean who rocks pink cat-eye frames, add some pizzazz to the chromatically and somatotypically varied cast.
Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind. (Easy reader. 5-7)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9780063329560
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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