by Alan Durant & illustrated by Mei Matsuoka ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 16, 2006
Fans of modern twisted tales rejoice: Young Benny doesn’t like vegetables, but he LOVES burgers. In fact, he eats only burgers, every day and every meal. His mom warns, “If you don’t watch out, you’ll turn into a burger one day.” And sure enough, Benny metamorphoses into a largish hamburger. To his horror, he is suddenly the focus of a pack of hungry dogs. Escape into a field of cows turns surreal when the cows remind Benny what he’s made of. Next he happens upon a group of hungry boys and so, like the Gingerbread Man, he runs over hill and dale trying to escape a string of pursuers. Eventually saved by his mom, Benny dines solely on fruits and vegetables, and his body slowly reverts to normal. He vows never again to eat another burger, but with an exclusively vegetarian diet, could Benny be in for another shape shift? Embellished with eventful illustrations that are brimming with delightful comic details, this is a tasty and off-kilter romp. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2006
ISBN: 0-618-71466-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2006
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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by Mallory Loehr & illustrated by Pamela Silin-Palmer ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 24, 2006
The can’t-miss subject of this Step into Reading series entry—a unicorn with a magic horn who also longs for wings—trumps its text, which is dry even by easy-reader standards. A boy unicorn, whose horn has healing powers, reveals his wish to a butterfly in a castle garden, a bluebird in the forest and a snowy white swan in a pond. Falling asleep at the edge of the sea, the unicorn is visited by a winged white mare. He heals her broken wing and she flies away. After sadly invoking his wish once more, he sees his reflection: “He had big white wings!” He flies off after the mare, because he “wanted to say, ‘Thank you.’ ” Perfectly suiting this confection, Silin-Palmer’s pictures teem with the mass market–fueled iconography of what little girls are (ostensibly) made of: rainbows, flowers, twinkly stars and, of course, manes down to there. (Easy reader. 4-7)
Pub Date: Oct. 24, 2006
ISBN: 0-375-83117-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2006
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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by Margery Cuyler & illustrated by S.D. Schindler ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2002
Who hasn’t shared the aggravation of a whole day’s worth of bone-rattling hiccups? Poor Skeleton wakes up with a deadly case that he can’t shake, and it’s up to his friend Ghost to think of something to scare them away. Cuyler (Stop, Drop, and Roll, 2001, etc.) cleverly brings readers through the ups and downs of Skeleton’s day, from shower to ball-playing. Home folk remedies (holding his breath, eating sugar) don’t seem to work, but Ghost applies a new perspective startling enough to unhinge listeners and Skeleton alike. While the concept is clever, it’s Schindler’s (How Santa Lost His Job, 2001, etc.) paintings, done with gouache, ink, and watercolor, that carry the day, showing Skeleton’s own unique problems—water pours out of his hollow eyes when he drinks it upside down, his teeth spin out of his head when he brushes them—that make a joke of the circumstances. Oversized spreads open the scene to read-aloud audiences, but hold intimate details for sharp eyes—monster slippers, sugar streaming through the hollow body. For all the hiccupping, this outing has a quiet feel not up to the standards of some of Cuyler’s earlier books, but the right audience will enjoy its fun. (Picture book. 4-6)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-689-84770-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2002
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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