This rhythmic romp slyly shows the value of looking through a different perspective.
“HONK, HONK, HONK! / BEEP, BEEP, BEEP! / ‘Quiet down, I’m trying to sleep!’ ” Traffic sounds shatter the morning’s silence. Then, birds won’t stop chirping during breakfast. The protagonist, a big, blue elephant, walks through town, with loud noises causing irritation and even problems at every turn. In the park: “RUFF, RUFF, RUFF! / YIP, YIP, YIP! / ‘Quiet down, you made me trip!’ ” At the cafe: “CLANK, CLANK, CLANK! / CLINK, CLINK, CLINK! / ‘Quiet down, I spilled my drink!’ ” The peeved pachyderm can’t take it anymore and shouts from the sidewalk: “QUIET DOWN LOUD TOWN!” These words splay out over a double-page spread, just like the elephant’s arms and legs as anger erupts. The following spread is entirely wordless; the elephant’s got its desired silence, but several passersby aim stink-eyes its way. And, when the elephant gets ready for bed, silence is suddenly not as appealing. After dragging in multiple appliances: “All this noise should do the trick… / SNORE! / SNORE! / SNOOOOORE….” But how will the neighbors feel? Hunt’s frenetic angular illustrations match the raucous city and rising frustration all around. The residents are all anthropomorphized animals, walking upright, working community jobs; it makes for a fun hunt to spot them all.
This rhythmic romp slyly shows the value of looking through a different perspective. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 8, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-328-95782-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2020
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BOOK REVIEW
Willems’ formula is still a winner.
The pigeon is back, and he is filthy!
Readers haven’t seen the pigeon for a couple of years, not since The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? (2012), and apparently he hasn’t bathed in all that time. Per the usual routine, the bus driver (clad in shower cap and bathrobe) opens the story by asking readers to help convince the pigeon to take a bath. Though he’s covered in grime, the obstreperous bird predictably resists. He glares at readers and suggests that maybe they need baths. With the turn of the page, Willems anticipates readers’ energetic denials: The pigeon demands, “YEAH! When was the last time YOU had a bath?!” Another beat allows children to supply the answer. “Oh.” A trio of flies that find him repulsive (“P.U.!”) convinces him it’s time. One spread with 29 separate panels depicts the pigeon adjusting the bath (“Too wet!…Too cold.…Too reflective”) before the page turn reveals him jumping in with a spread-filling “SPLASH!” Readers accustomed to the pigeon formula will note that here the story breaks from its normal rhythms; instead of throwing a tantrum, the pigeon discovers what readers already know: “This is FUN!” All the elements are in place, including page backgrounds that modulate from dirty browns to fresh, clean colors and endpapers that bookend the story (including a very funny turnabout for the duckling, here a rubber bath toy).
Willems’ formula is still a winner. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4231-9087-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2014
A delightfully silly celebration of familial love.
A child in search of the best hugger takes a bedtime tour of the world’s most unusual embraces.
In the opening pages of this rhyming picture book, an unnamed narrator asks a curly-haired, tan-skinned child who they think gives the best hugs. At the narrator’s behest, the protagonist spends their bedtime routine receiving affection from a wacky cast of creatures, ranging from meerkats to porcupines to narwhals. These animals have a variety of body types, but even those with a lack of limbs still express their love; the seahorse, for example, gives the child a “smooch” right before bathtime, and a grinning cobra offers the child a “clinch,” wrapping itself around their leg. Although many of the animals prove to be more prickly than cozy—the narrator points out, for example, the sharpness of bird beaks and porcupine quills—even the snuggliest koalas and bears cannot compare to the best hug of all: a parent’s embrace right before bedtime. The use of second-person address combined with the protagonist’s beautifully illustrated facial expressions and the buoyant, clever lines of verse render this book a hilarious and whimsical ride sure to delight both children and the adults who read to them. The pictures and text work together to create a clear narrative arc for the protagonist, and though the ending is a bit predictable, it’s nevertheless a wonderful payoff. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A delightfully silly celebration of familial love. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 24, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-5476-1236-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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