by Alexander Stadler & illustrated by Alexander Stadler ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2004
Stadler’s jagged, thick-lined art may resemble William Steig’s, but his young narrator is pure Jules Feiffer: “Why share? If a toy is fun, why let go of it? Who knows when you’ll get it back?” But after bringing his birthday party to a tearful end by jealously hoarding his gifts and spending a punitive hour alone in his room playing with his new rude-noise-making device, Duncan begins to wonder: “If you make a rude noise and no one hears it, is it still gross?” A contrite phone call brings his friend Flora back over, and helps him work out the right answer. The Message hangs heavy over this, but Duncan’s distinctive voice, plus a light touch with the moral, makes it a persuasive exercise in the benefits of socialization. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-689-86732-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2004
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by David Milgrim & illustrated by David Milgrim ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2003
In his third beginning reader about Otto the robot, Milgrim (See Otto, 2002, etc.) introduces another new friend for Otto, a little mouse named Pip. The simple plot involves a large balloon that Otto kindly shares with Pip after the mouse has a rather funny pointing attack. (Pip seems to be in that I-point-and-I-want-it phase common with one-year-olds.) The big purple balloon is large enough to carry Pip up and away over the clouds, until Pip runs into Zee the bee. (“Oops, there goes Pip.”) Otto flies a plane up to rescue Pip (“Hurry, Otto, Hurry”), but they crash (and splash) in front of some hippos with another big balloon, and the story ends as it begins, with a droll “See Pip point.” Milgrim again succeeds in the difficult challenge of creating a real, funny story with just a few simple words. His illustrations utilize lots of motion and basic geometric shapes with heavy black outlines, all against pastel backgrounds with text set in an extra-large typeface. Emergent readers will like the humor in little Pip’s pointed requests, and more engaging adventures for Otto and Pip will be welcome additions to the limited selection of funny stories for children just beginning to read. (Easy reader. 5-7)
Pub Date: March 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-689-85116-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2003
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by David Milgrim ; illustrated by David Milgrim
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by Lucy Floyd & illustrated by Christopher Denise ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 2000
Floyd and Denise update “The Tortoise and the Hare” for primary readers, captioning each soft-focus, semi-rural scene with a short, simple sentence or two. Rabbit proposes running to school, while his friend Turtle takes the bus: no contest at first, as the bus makes stop after deliberate stop, but because Rabbit pauses at a pushcart for a snack, a fresh-looking Turtle greets his panting, disheveled friend on the school steps. There is no explicit moral, but children will get the point—and go on to enjoy Margery Cuyler’s longer and wilder Road Signs: A Harey Race with a Tortoise (p. 957). (Easy reader. 5-7)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-15-202679-7
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2000
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