"A trendy experiment in narrative, clumsily done and unlikely to gain much traction except as a curiosity. (Picture book. 4-6)"
Pfister swaps out words for signs—mostly big dots with happy, sad, or mad faces—in this tale of a trickster raven's ups and downs.
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"Pfister has a following, so adults who recognize his name will likely be drawn to the (hologram-free) artwork. Others may want to choose from among the more classic animal ABCs. (Alphabet book. 4-6)"
Animal alphabet books abound, so it takes something special to make one stand out; this one doesn't have it.
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"Taxi-loving readers will be happy since the tiny, yellow car is the hero, but it is a title a little too easily won. (Picture book. 4-8)"
A taxicab on an everyday run suddenly finds himself in the middle of the rain forest, where it is up to him to save the ecosystem from destruction.
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"This nicely captures a puppy's (or a child's) distractibility, and the Christmas tie-in adds the moral that Pfister's books never lack. (Picture book. 4-8)"
Pfister gets into the head and heart of a puppy experiencing the wonders of his first snow, as well as the heartache of his first time being lost.
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"In a world that so often emphasizes answers and solid facts, it is refreshing to see a text that encourages questioning, whether realistic or imaginative flights of fancy. (Picture book. 3-7)"
In a departure from his usual sparkly fare, Pfister's latest is a sweetly simple look at some very deep questions, allowing children the opportunity to delve into some of life's mysteries.
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"Stick with Sesame Street's more lovable critters. (Pop-up picture book. 3-5)"
In a pop-up album that provides a strong argument for attaching parental-advisory labels, happy monsters rear up over a hill, spring from closet and cellar and burst out from under the bed to assure a pair of timorous, pajama-clad children that they're not really scary.
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"In addressing one of childhood's basic insecurities, Pfister has produced an engaging work which children and adults will raptly appreciate 'just the way it is.' (Picture book. 5-8)"
Perhaps the animals should have decided on a costume party instead of a "come-as-you-are" soiree.
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"It's almost painfully formulaic, but some children will never get enough of Rainbow Fish, who has now been promoted to ambassador of peace of the pelagic domain. (Picture book. 5-8)"
Pfister's winking do-gooder returns; Rainbow Fish and his pals find their krill-eating grounds mooched upon by a huge blue whale.
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"Pfister creates the animals in his trademark wet-on-wet technique, but when the facial expressions are crucial, he brings in details and puts the message in focus. (Picture book. 5-8)"
A king is deposed, a lesson is learned, and a message is delivered, all in the pages of a quick-moving, intriguing tale of the jungle.
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"Pfister's message—about making wise ecological choices—home. (Picture book. 3-6)"
Pfister (Hopper's Treetop Adventure, p. 226, etc.) begins this book with his trademark fly-in-the-ointment approach: A happy bunch of cherubic cliff mice inhabit an idyllic island, where all is wonderful until winter forces the mice into dank, dark caves.
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"This is best served to Pfister's many fans, who won't see the framed picture of Rainbow Fish on the wall as a not-so-subtle piece of cross-promotion. (Picture book. 3-7)"
"This simple book, short and sweet, will be a hit with preschool students of ethics as well as fans of the first glittering book. (Picture book. 4-8)"
A sequel to Rainbow Fish (1992), this morality tale begins when Rainbow Fish and his new friends, all ensconced in flashing scales, won't let a striped fish without a flashing scale play with them.
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