A bland take on a heavily used plot that nevertheless has some potential as a high-volume storytime choice.
A junkyard robot ventures out into the wide world in search of a friend.
Watkins lavishes considerably more care on his illustrations and sound effects than on the trite storyline and prose. He sends his lonely bot out on the road knowing only (from a found advertisement) that a “Best Friend” says “Bark.” The trip becomes an odyssey as farm animals (“BAAAAA”; “OINK”), woodland creatures (“GROWL!”), jungle residents (“OO-OO AH-AAAH!”), and even fish (“GLUB!”) disappoint him. When at last a gaudily feathered rain-forest parrot repeats his “BARK?” Raybot is delighted: “A puppy!” The pleasure is compounded as the “puppy” comes with a wagging, four-footed companion that says, “WOOF!” Off the three go together, Raybot realizing that “puppies and friends come in all different shapes and sizes.” How Raybot makes the conceptual conclusive leap is quite unclear. A close visual cousin to the lanky, lantern-jawed mechanicals in Watkins’ R Is for Robot (2014), Raybot poses with a great many big, open-mouthed, mostly friendly-looking animals. Their sometimes-unexpected utterances—a beaver’s “SKWEEP,” “BARAAG!” from a giraffe, a hippo’s bellowed “HU-HU-HURUUGH!”—are likely to be all that will catch the attention of, and tempt responses from, young audiences.
A bland take on a heavily used plot that nevertheless has some potential as a high-volume storytime choice. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: March 22, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8431-8300-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2016
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with...
Reynolds and Brown have crafted a Halloween tale that balances a really spooky premise with the hilarity that accompanies any mention of underwear.
Jasper Rabbit needs new underwear. Plain White satisfies him until he spies them: “Creepy underwear! So creepy! So comfy! They were glorious.” The underwear of his dreams is a pair of radioactive-green briefs with a Frankenstein face on the front, the green color standing out all the more due to Brown’s choice to do the entire book in grayscale save for the underwear’s glowing green…and glow they do, as Jasper soon discovers. Despite his “I’m a big rabbit” assertion, that glow creeps him out, so he stuffs them in the hamper and dons Plain White. In the morning, though, he’s wearing green! He goes to increasing lengths to get rid of the glowing menace, but they don’t stay gone. It’s only when Jasper finally admits to himself that maybe he’s not such a big rabbit after all that he thinks of a clever solution to his fear of the dark. Brown’s illustrations keep the backgrounds and details simple so readers focus on Jasper’s every emotion, writ large on his expressive face. And careful observers will note that the underwear’s expression also changes, adding a bit more creep to the tale.
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with Dr. Seuss’ tale of animate, empty pants. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Aug. 22, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0298-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader!
Fun with friends makes for a great day.
Norbit, a salmon-colored worm with a pink kerchief, joyfully greets the day and everyone he encounters. “Hello, friends! It’s time for fun with the sun! Let’s play!” He and his menagerie of forest pals—including the sun, who grows limbs and descends from the sky—exuberantly engage in various forms of physical activity such as jumping, going down a slide, spinning around, and watching the clouds go by. Young readers will readily relate, as these are games that most children are familiar with. As day turns to night, Norbit says farewell to Sun and welcomes Moon with an invitation to continue the fun. Watkins has created a vivid world of movement and merriment. Her illustrations feature bright bursts of color that match the energy of the text, with most sentences ending in an exclamation point. The author/illustrator incorporates many elements that make for an ideal early-reading experience (despite the use of a contraction or two): art free from clutter, text consisting of words with only one or two syllables, and repetition and recurring bits, such as a continued game of hide-and-seek with Sun. Inspired by never-before-seen sketches from the Dr. Seuss Collection archives at the University of California San Diego, this is the first title for Seuss Studios, a new imprint for original stories from “emerging authors and illustrators” who “honor Seuss’s hallmark spirit of creativity and imagination.”
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader! (author's note) (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780593646212
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Seuss Studios
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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