In this fresh, but odd spin on pen pals, Nancy is excited that her pen pal in Florida is coming to visit; from their exchange of letters, Ally seems almost like a sister. When Ally steps off the plane, only the readers will be surprised, unlike Nancy or her parents, that Ally is really an alligator (despite the tip-off on the cover). On the way home, they stop for pizza and Ally eats nine Spicy Shrimp pizzas. Back home, Nancy shows Ally all her treasures, while Ally shows her the photo album she brought. Nancy plays her favorite songs; Ally teaches her the Swamp Stomp and Crazy Creek Creep. They shop (buying matching pink feather boas), go to the swimming pool, ballet class, rollerskating, the beach and make friendship bracelets. Coy details in the colorful illustrations add understated humor (e.g., Ally in her matching red bathing suit and pink ballet outfit). The underlying sentiment is expressed in the last sentence: “Sisters are together even when they’re apart.” It’s puzzling, however, that Ally is the only nonhuman in the whole story and why would people think she and Nancy are sisters unless being an alligator is supposed to stand in for being different. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: June 1, 2006
ISBN: 1-4169-0643-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Anne Schwartz/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2006
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
The lifecycle of the frog is succinctly summarized in this easy reader for children reading at the late first-grade level. In just one or two sentences per page, Vern details the amazing metamorphosis of the frog from egg to tadpole to adult, even injecting a little humor despite the tight word count. (“Watch out fly! Mmmm!) Large, full-color photographs on white backgrounds clearly illustrate each phase of development. Without any mention of laying eggs or fertilization, the title might be a bit misleading, but the development from black dot egg to full-grown frog is fascinating. A simple chart of the three main lifecycle steps is also included. Lifecycles are part of the standard curriculum in the early elementary grades, and this will be a welcome addition to school and public libraries, both for its informational value and as an easy reader. (Nonfiction/easy reader. 5-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-15-216304-2
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Green Light/Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2001
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