Familiar ground, with an effulgent new look.
Three urban-dwelling foxes head to the countryside in search of a little quiet.
The trio lives in the big city, where it is all “rumble, rumble, chitter, chatter,” to which the foxes add their “hopping and bopping...banging and clanging.” Enough. “Wouldn’t it be nice to be quiet sometimes?” asks Fox Number One. Once in the country, they enter Goldilocks mode: the owl’s home is too high, the mole’s is too dark, the frog’s is too wet, and the badger’s is too quiet—a shrewd little twist that should make readers think. As the three wander through the youthful, color-crazy landscapes, they pull out their various noisemakers (“The noisy foxes were tired of being quiet”) and start up a woodland stomp. A passing, quiet-loving mouse shows the foxes the ideal place for them to find a home. Shifting into Wizard of Oz mode, they find themselves right back in their urban digs. Home is where the noise is. Clearly the storyline doesn’t turn any new turf, but Husband’s artwork is a showstopper. Some pages have as many as five panels, some are double-page spreads, so the flow is both nimble and steady. The characters have both eyes on one side of their heads, like flatfish, which somehow makes them extremely sympathetic; and the color is as rich and varied as a full deployment of the largest box of crayons.
Familiar ground, with an effulgent new look. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0154-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2015
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A charming blend of whimsy and medieval heroism highlighting the triumph of brains over brawn.
A young owl achieves his grand ambition.
Owl, an adorably earnest and gallant little owlet, dreams of being a knight. He imagines himself defeating dragons and winning favor far and wide through his brave exploits. When a record number of knights go missing, Owl applies to Knight School and is surprisingly accepted. He is much smaller than the other knights-in-training, struggles to wield weapons, and has “a habit of nodding off during the day.” Nevertheless, he graduates and is assigned to the Knight Night Watch. While patrolling the castle walls one night, a hungry dragon shows up and Owl must use his wits to avoid meeting a terrible end. The result is both humorous and heartwarming, offering an affirmation of courage and clear thinking no matter one’s size…and demonstrating the power of a midnight snack. The story never directly addresses the question of the missing knights, but it is hinted that they became the dragon’s fodder, leaving readers to question Owl’s decision to befriend the beast. Humor is supplied by the characters’ facial expressions and accented by the fact that Owl is the only animal in his order of big, burly human knights. Denise’s accomplished digital illustrations—many of which are full bleeds—often use a warm sepia palette that evokes a feeling of antiquity, and some spreads feature a pleasing play of chiaroscuro that creates suspense and drama.
A charming blend of whimsy and medieval heroism highlighting the triumph of brains over brawn. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-316-31062-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2022
© Copyright 2024 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.
bookshelf
