A wonderfully silly story about being true to yourself.
It takes a lot of sass to make “piranhas” and “bananas” rhyme, and Blabey’s book is full of that sass.
Who would guess that a piranha loves fruit? But Brian does. When he tries to tempt other piranhas to try a banana, they turn him down cold. “Well, how about some silverbeet?” Brian asks. “Are you serious, Brian? We eat feet,” they reply. “Or would you rather a bowl of peas?” “Stop it, Brian. We eat knees.” Children will readily guess what the other piranhas reply when Brian asks if they’d like some nice, ripe plums. But Brian keeps trying, ultimately offering the other fish “an awesome fruit platter.” They gobble it up in a typical piranha frenzy, and a hopeful Brian asks, “Is it yucky or yum?” While they admit “It’s very nice,” they enthusiastically proclaim, “But we still prefer bum!” The loose, rhyming back and forth between Brian and the other piranhas make this a fun read-aloud guaranteed to generate giggles and requests to “read it again.” Illustrations, just as sassy as the text, spotlight bright, lantern-jawed avocado-green fish and colorful fruit that pop against a stark white background. And the piranhas’ facial expressions? Priceless. Don’t miss the endpapers for serious and not-so-serious information about piranhas and bananas.
A wonderfully silly story about being true to yourself. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: July 9, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-29713-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Engaging, sitcom-style humor based on personality differences and securely attuned to the intended audience.
A practical alligator and her more excitable husband plan a camping trip in this slightly reformatted chapter taken from Meet Mr. and Mrs. Green (2002).
“We need food and water,” proposes Mrs. Green. “Like chocolate bars and marshmallows,” responds Mr. Green. “And soda pop!” Though Mr. Green’s enthusiasm flags when Mrs. Green mentions a map—“There could be dark, mysterious woods, strange, eerie sounds, spooky, glowing eyes, sharp, pointy teeth, and mosquitoes!”—he brightens again when the trek ends in their own backyard. Distinguished by a string of pearls (for her, unsurprisingly) and a necktie (for him, ditto), the otherwise identical bright green couple poses amid a clutter of comfy domestic details in Baker’s small but open-edged cartoon illustrations. Neither here nor in the likewise republished Cookies (from On the Go with Mr. and Mrs. Green, 2006) have either the art or the page design been significantly altered, but as single episodes, the stories may be less intimidating to newly independent readers than the original collections.
Engaging, sitcom-style humor based on personality differences and securely attuned to the intended audience. (Early reader. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 7, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-547-74961-7
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Sandpiper
Review Posted Online: July 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
A solid introduction to Africa’s fauna—happy (letter) hunting. (Informational picture book. 4-6)
The Jouberts, National Geographic Explorers-in-Residence, introduce young readers to the African animals they have studied for years and give them a lesson in letters at the same time.
A large capital letter frames every page (sadly, without its lowercase counterpart), while the photography takes center stage. A short paragraph either introduces a fact or two about the animal or describes what is happening in the photograph. Heavy alliteration encourages kids to look for each instance of the featured letter on the page—how many b’s are on the baboon page? Attempts to include the featured letter in the paragraph sometimes feel forced, overly anthropomorphic or inappropriate; for example, after cheetahs catch their dinner, they “chomp and chew with delight.” But the letter hunt will be secondary for most children—the photographs will keep them riveted. Beverly Joubert gives readers an up-close and personal view of each animal, capturing the features that make them unique. A brief glossary helps young readers with some of the more challenging vocabulary: boisterous, rambunctious, vociferous. Backmatter also includes a list of sources for more information and a double-page spread showing each letter of the alphabet, a thumbnail photo of the animal it represents and a brief listing of facts, including habitat, size, food, sounds and how many babies they have at a time.
A solid introduction to Africa’s fauna—happy (letter) hunting. (Informational picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4263-0781-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: National Geographic
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2011
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