It had to happen sooner or later—the only surprise is that it took so long. Davis sets Sherman’s 1963 classic in a series of buggy, boggy campsites inhabited by pop-eyed young campers with oversized heads and sunburned noses, struggling to cope with a series of disasters. Bearing a certain resemblance to the song’s perpetrator, the nerdy young correspondent regards each mishap—“I went hiking with Joe Spivey. / He developed poison ivy. / You remember Leonard Skinner? He got ptomaine poisoning / last night after dinner”—with dismay, begs to come home, but then brightens along with the rainy skies, and closes by bidding his parents to “disregard this letter.” There is no musical arrangement, but young listeners will soon be singing along anyway, and laughing at the (more or less) timeless humor. Who’s next? Tom Lehrer? Weird Al? (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: May 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-525-46942-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2004
PLB 0-531-33137-7 At night, everyone in the family from the father to the dog is tuckered out, but when Uncle starts to tune his fiddle, toes start tapping and hands begin clapping. The energy of music will fuel the imaginations of those who loved Gray’s My Mama Had a Dancing Heart (1995). Exhilarating nonsense phrases reproduce the sounds of this bluegrass band: “Pick-a-pluck-a-plum” sings Miss Essie’s banjo; “Shu-sha-shu/Rick-a-rack-a-MEW!” is the sound of square dancers gliding around the room, while a cat dodges among their feet. The music brings the whole valley to life as the neighbors join in, and by the time everyone leaves, the big full moon is peeking over the hill. Bloom’s gentle illustrations conjure up the soft nights of early summer, the air scented with flowering trees and ringing with tunes. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-531-30137-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orchard
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A toy bear plays conflict resolution specialist in this post-modern episode from the illustrator of Eric Sanvoisin’s The Ink Drinker (1998). Chasing a duck that has filched a cucumber slice from her picnic basket, Celeste bumps into a blimp-like policeman, Officer Wallace B. Brekkit; while she stands silent and blushing, her jointed ursine companion Tim uses aggression and persuasion to convince the duck that it’s better to be friends. The next day, Celeste and Tim meet the duck on a grassy knoll for chocolate and sausage sandwiches. Matje integrates a present-tense text, printed in various sizes and colors, with cartoons featuring pop-eyed figures with large heads and tiny limbs. Children will respond to this with amusement, and the theme is a worthy one. (Picture book. 7-8)
Pub Date: May 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-689-82100-X
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1999
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
