It’s not that the new lyrics set to old-favorite tunes aren’t humorous in Katz’s book, it’s that they are predictable. There’s the piece on dirty nappies (set to “Twinkle, Twinkle”): “Stinky stinky diaper change / Boy, my brother smells so strange / He made something in his pants / Sure hope it won’t attract ants . . . ” And the piece on vomiting (“Oh, Susanna”): “I’m so carsick / Gotta go wee-wee / Hey Dad, stop this Toyota / And next time, go without me!” And on being grungy (“It’s Raining, It’s Pouring”): “I’m filthy, I’m dirty / Got mud on my shirty.” Time-honored, crowd-pleasing topics, as are the thematic items, like meatloaf (mashed in your hair during a food fight, being prepared in the washing machine) and exasperated parents. But like those nappies, the work here lacks a certain freshness: Cleverness they may have, novelty they haven’t. Catrow’s illustrations are manic in a bug-eyed way, and it has to be handed to him that he hasn’t stooped to the graphic to get chuckles, but keeps things at the suggestive level. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: May 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-82903-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2001
The action of this rhymed and humorous tale centers upon a mouse who "took a stroll/through the deep dark wood./A fox saw the mouse/and the mouse looked good." The mouse escapes being eaten by telling the fox that he is on his way to meet his friend the gruffalo (a monster of his imagination), whose favorite food is roasted fox. The fox beats a hasty retreat. Similar escapes are in store for an owl and a snake; both hightail it when they learn the particulars: tusks, claws, terrible jaws, eyes orange, tongue black, purple prickles on its back. When the gruffalo suddenly materializes out of the mouse's head and into the forest, the mouse has to think quick, declaring himself inedible as the "scariest creature in the deep dark wood," and inviting the gruffalo to follow him to witness the effect he has on the other creatures. When the gruffalo hears that the mouse's favorite food is gruffalo crumble, he runs away. It's a fairly innocuous tale, with twists that aren't sharp enough and treachery that has no punch. Scheffler's funny scenes prevent the suspense from culminating; all his creatures, predator and prey, are downright lovable. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: June 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8037-2386-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1999
SEEN & HEARD
Through quick thinking and personal sacrifice, a wise old Japanese farmer saves the people of his village from a devastating tsunami in this simple yet striking story based on Lafcadio Hearn’s “A Living God.” Ojiisan lives in a cottage on a mountain overlooking the village and sea. One day, villagers gather to celebrate the rice harvest, but Ojiisan stays home thinking “something does not feel right.” When the earth quakes and the sea darkens and runs away from the land, Ojiisan realizes a tsunami approaches. Fearing the oblivious villagers will be swept away, Ojiisan torches his rice fields to attract attention, and they respond, barely escaping the monster wave. Rendered in gouache, pastel and collage, Young’s illustrations cleverly combine natural textures, bold colors and abstract shapes to convey compelling images of chaos and disaster as the rice fields burn and the wave rushes in. In one literally breathtaking double-page spread, an enormous wall of water engulfs the teeny seacoast village. A visually powerful and dramatic tribute to one man’s willingness to sacrifice everything for others. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-399-25006-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2008
BOOK REVIEW
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