Don’t bring up the rear! Be the first in line to read this laugh-out-loud story.
A class of anthropomorphic animals is thrown into disarray.
As this snazzily clad classroom menagerie is lining up, the book’s narrator—an energetic hippo—is at the front, leading the way as always. The other students become irritated at the hippo’s over-the-top hijinks (“I can make everyone go fast. I can make everyone go slow. I can suddenly stop and make everyone crash”), amusingly showcased across various double-page spreads, as well as at our hero’s smug sense of power. When the hippo’s attempts to get to the front go too far one day, the teacher banishes the protagonist to the titular back of the line. The hippo takes to the new place in line very quickly. While “caboosin’ it up,” the protagonist barely avoids a serious accident and is relegated to the middle of the line. Now a part of the group, the hippo eventually acclimates to the new spot and connects with the others, while still embracing a sense of mischief and whimsy. Jonker and Chan have created a chaotic yet hilarious story grounded in real childhood emotions. Jonker’s first-person text is full of repetition and short sentences, making this an ideal choice for a read-aloud. Chan’s action-filled signature ink and digital color illustrations further ramp up the zaniness. Many young readers (and their exasperated parents and teachers) will recognize the protagonist and relate to the emotional journey outlined here.
Don’t bring up the rear! Be the first in line to read this laugh-out-loud story. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781419765032
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2024
PERSPECTIVES
A tale of mutual adoration that hits a sweet note.
Little Honey Bunny Funnybunny loves baseball almost as much as she loves her big brother P.J.—though it’s a close-run thing.
Readers familiar with the pranks P.J. plays on his younger sibling in older episodes of the series (most illustrated by Roger Bollen) will be amused—and perhaps a little confused—to see him in the role of perfect big brother after meeting his swaddled little sister for the first time in mama’s lap. But here, along with being a constant companion and “always happy to see her,” he cements his heroic status in her eyes by hitting a home run for his baseball team and then patiently teaching her how to play T-ball. After carefully coaching her and leading her through warm-up exercises, he even sits in the stands, loudly cheering her on as she scores the winning run in her own very first game. “‘You are the best brother a bunny could ever have!’” she burbles. This tale’s a tad blander compared with others centered on P.J. and his sister, but it’s undeniably cheery, with text well structured for burgeoning readers. The all-smiles animal cast in Bowers’ cartoon art features a large and diversely hued family of bunnies sporting immense floppy ears as well as a multispecies crowd of furry onlookers equally varied of color, with one spectator in a wheelchair.
A tale of mutual adoration that hits a sweet note. (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2026
ISBN: 9798217032464
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted...
Reinvention is the name of the game for two blobs of clay.
A blue-eyed gray blob and a brown-eyed brown blob sit side by side, unsure as to what’s going to happen next. The gray anticipates an adventure, while the brown appears apprehensive. A pair of hands descends, and soon, amid a flurry of squishing and prodding and poking and sculpting, a handsome gray wolf and a stately brown owl emerge. The hands disappear, leaving the friends to their own devices. The owl is pleased, but the wolf convinces it that the best is yet to come. An ear pulled here and an extra eye placed there, and before you can shake a carving stick, a spurt of frenetic self-exploration—expressed as a tangled black scribble—reveals a succession of smug hybrid beasts. After all, the opportunity to become a “pig-e-phant” doesn’t come around every day. But the sound of approaching footsteps panics the pair of Picassos. How are they going to “fix [them]selves” on time? Soon a hippopotamus and peacock are staring bug-eyed at a returning pair of astonished hands. The creative naiveté of the “clay mates” is perfectly captured by Petty’s feisty, spot-on dialogue: “This was your idea…and it was a BAD one.” Eldridge’s endearing sculpted images are photographed against the stark white background of an artist’s work table to great effect.
The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted fun of their own . (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 20, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-316-30311-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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