Unanswered questions and a muddled plot may leave readers scratching their heads instead of picking their noses.
Grab a tissue—this vibrant picture book delivers silly adventure alongside copious amounts of mucus.
This sequel to Little Captain Jack (2017) takes the diminutive pirate and his crew to unusual new locations as they travel the high seas. After discovering a message in a bottle pleading for help, Jack charts a course for Achoo Island. Soon, the crew discovers that the island is inhabited by person-sized noses (with tiny limbs) intent on coating Jack and company with snot and boogers! Quick thinking and teamwork get Little Captain Jack and his friends to safety, but not before he contracts a mysterious sneezing illness. Hilarity ensues when Jack’s sneezes produce bubbles, confetti, and even popcorn. A return trip to Achoo Island and a clever plan become necessary if he ever wants to find a cure. The theme of the series opener may have been self-acceptance, but readers of this new story are left with a less meaningful takeaway: “Make sure you have a hanky in your hand / if you travel to Booger Land.” Both noses and pirates represent a wide variety of skin tones, and one pirate is shown using a wheelchair.
Unanswered questions and a muddled plot may leave readers scratching their heads instead of picking their noses. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-84-17123-91-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: NubeOcho
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2019
A sweet Runaway Bunny book for the pirate set.
While reading a book about pirates, Danny considers sailing away with them. But what if he wants to come home?
As he reads with his mom, little Danny wonders aloud what it would be like to be a pirate. From the comfort of his couch, his questions persist. “What if I don’t like it on the pirate ship? And I want to come back home?” With steadfast love, his mother answers every “What if…?” with confident answers that reassure the young boy. Danny considers many logical barriers to his rescue, including the dangers of the ocean and the possibility that the friendly pirates may want to keep him. His mother’s answers, however, involve the magical element of a bottle filled with "magic spray." She metaphorically shrinks the problems with a few pumps of a handle. These "Alice in Wonderland" solutions seem unjustified given Danny’s reasonable questions. Luckily, the colorful full-spread illustrations simplify the nonsense and provide a mood of happy security throughout the story. Fortenberry’s playful illustrations freely borrow from cartoon conventions; the adorable Danny expresses no doubts about his security through two little dots for eyes.
A sweet Runaway Bunny book for the pirate set. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-8234-2321-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: July 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2011
First of a tasty if not immediately nourishing new series.
When Dr. Bunsen, Gabe, Laura, and Cesar's mad-scientist neighbor, tries out his growth machine on Gabe's plastic animal toys, there's an unexpected result—they come to life.
Second-grade whiz kids Gabriel Martinez, Laura Reyes, and Cesar Moreno meet their strange neighbor while fundraising for a science-club field trip. Known to their classmates as “the Data Set,” they each have individual passions: Gabe loves animals; Laura loves to tinker and invent; Cesar loves to read and eat. There’s room for all these activities in their well-equipped treehouse. Together, their fantastic adventures will be the stuff of four titles scheduled for 2016 and aimed directly at first- and second-graders already devouring books. This episode introduces the characters, sets up the problem (the cute but rapidly growing baby animals), and finds a solution (sneak them into the zoo) in 126 fast-paced pages written with plenty of dialogue and copiously illustrated with appealing drawings. With these Latino protagonists—Cesar has dark skin and curly hair, while Laura and Gabe have lighter skin and straight hair—and a STEM-infused plot, this would seem to have been made to order for today’s elementary school students. While the emphasis is far more on plot than STEM, the kid-friendly fantasy should captivate readers, who will certainly want to gobble up the next installment. (Tantalizingly, the opening pages are included.)
First of a tasty if not immediately nourishing new series. (Adventure. 5-8)Pub Date: April 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-5729-3
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2016
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