Published far more intriguingly across the pond as Have You Seen Elvis?, this tidy tale links a dog and a cat who battle constantly, until the cat throws in the towel and leaves home. Missing his erstwhile enemy, Buddy the dog ventures out into the scary, alley-cat–filled night to bring him back—enlisting the aid of a feline chorus to convince Chester to give it another go. The two return home, to the delight of their young keeper, and fall asleep nested together, the picture of amity. For her full-length debut, Slater kicks this rather bland plot up a notch with intensely colored, ’50s-style scenes of a pop-eyed, square-headed pooch and a decidedly disheveled cat, set into solid color fields or canted, stylized street scenes. Readers who still find this a little cut-and-dried can seek more nuanced relationships in the likes of Denise Fleming’s Buster (2003) or Peter McCarty’s Hondo and Fabian (2002). (Picture book. 4-6)
Pub Date: March 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-06-057187-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
A wonderfully silly story about being true to yourself.
It takes a lot of sass to make “piranhas” and “bananas” rhyme, and Blabey’s book is full of that sass.
Who would guess that a piranha loves fruit? But Brian does. When he tries to tempt other piranhas to try a banana, they turn him down cold. “Well, how about some silverbeet?” Brian asks. “Are you serious, Brian? We eat feet,” they reply. “Or would you rather a bowl of peas?” “Stop it, Brian. We eat knees.” Children will readily guess what the other piranhas reply when Brian asks if they’d like some nice, ripe plums. But Brian keeps trying, ultimately offering the other fish “an awesome fruit platter.” They gobble it up in a typical piranha frenzy, and a hopeful Brian asks, “Is it yucky or yum?” While they admit “It’s very nice,” they enthusiastically proclaim, “But we still prefer bum!” The loose, rhyming back and forth between Brian and the other piranhas make this a fun read-aloud guaranteed to generate giggles and requests to “read it again.” Illustrations, just as sassy as the text, spotlight bright, lantern-jawed avocado-green fish and colorful fruit that pop against a stark white background. And the piranhas’ facial expressions? Priceless. Don’t miss the endpapers for serious and not-so-serious information about piranhas and bananas.
A wonderfully silly story about being true to yourself. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: July 9, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-29713-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Gorgeous illustrations and an evocative time period support a somewhat staid story.
The third book featuring Little Elliot, a polka-dot elephant, and Mouse brings them to Coney Island.
Little Elliot and Mouse take the train to Coney Island, where Mouse assures Elliot that he will have a great time. Visual details such as the fashions on the racially diverse crowds—most especially the black enlisted sailor’s dress whites—point to a time period of late 1930s to early 1940s, a feeling that is enhanced by Curato’s lush illustrations in a color palette that recalls the postcards of that era. Having arrived at Coney Island, Elliot is, alas, not having a good time. He is frightened by the rides, a sea gull steals his ice cream, and the clown scares him. When Mouse suggests the Ferris wheel, Elliot climbs on with trepidation. But when, in a dramatic horizontal double-gatefold spread, he sees the whole wonderful panorama of the park, he begins to enjoy himself. At dusk, Elliot asks Mouse what his favorite part of the day was, and Mouse replies, “being with you,” a sentiment echoed by Elliot. The story ends on this tidy, rather bland note, but adults reading aloud may privately muse about the poignancy of a story of friendship perched on the edge of World War II, and this adds a pleasing nuance.
Gorgeous illustrations and an evocative time period support a somewhat staid story. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8050-9827-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
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