As Valentine’s Day approaches in Mrs. Steele’s fourth-grade classroom, Jenny finds herself preoccupied with a looming catastrophe of her own: Little brother Toby’s asthma has forced the eviction of her beloved cat. Munchkin doesn’t like Richard’s dog, Susan’s mother doesn’t like Munchkin; in desperation, Jenny suggests that he live at school for a couple of weeks in the hope that Mrs. Steele will fall in love and take him home. Nagda and Roth again (The Perfect Cat-Sitter, 2007, etc.) present chapter-book readers with a solid story. Jenny’s emotional upheaval and schoolwork travails are entirely realistic and sympathetic, and Munchkin is a fully realized character that kids will root for, along with Jenny. (Fiction. 7-10)
Pub Date: Nov. 15, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-8234-2123-7
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2008
This quietly emotional tale is an ultimately triumphant one
A boy and a puppy overcome difficult times in this illustrated chapter book.
Beginning the tale from the puppy’s point of view, Colfer employs simple language evoking an innocent sensibility, with many words in all-caps reflecting puppyish enthusiasm. The puppy’s early days with his mother and siblings are followed by a heart-wrenching stint with the abusive couple who brings the puppy home as a present for their cruel boy. After the puppy is abandoned at the dump, Colfer switches the point of view to Patrick, a human boy, who is driving with his mother to his grandad’s house to spend the summer. Asking when his touring-musician father will arrive, Patrick is dumbfounded when his mother, instead of answering the question, asks him if he would like to have a dog. Evading the issue of his father’s allergies, Patrick’s grandfather brings him to the shelter, where he picks out (readers will be so relieved) the abandoned puppy and names him Oz. Oz, however, is so traumatized he stays in his crate until, by accident, Patrick’s grandfather discovers that Oz enjoys music. Patrick digs out his violin and plays for him, eventually gaining his trust. Just as all seems well, Patrick learns that his father is leaving his mother—and now it is Oz’s turn to rescue Patrick. Lynch’s realistic pencil illustrations greatly amplify the story, their sensitively rendered human and dog expressions echoing the varying tones of the text. Humans are depicted as white.
This quietly emotional tale is an ultimately triumphant one . (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0442-1
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: June 9, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Unapologetic goofiness galore, perhaps best consumed in small doses.
More manic monkey and bunny mischief.
In the latest installment in this high-energy, over-the-top-silly graphic novel series, Bunny, Monkey, and their cadre of woodland compatriots share more zany forest adventures. The book is split into four parts, each named for a season and then broken down into smaller vignettes, most comprising only a few pages. As before, Bunny, Monkey, Pig, Skunky, and Le Fox embark upon all types of gonzo escapades, including encounters with myriad robots, lasers, explosions, and, of course, prolific poop and fart jokes. In one tale, “Fishyplops,” Monkey makes a giant metal fish to distract Bunny while he writes the word poo all over Bunny’s humble home. In “So Many Monkeys,” egotistical Monkey faces a seemingly existential crisis when he clones himself, but things take a comical turn. The threat of human developers looking to pave a road through the animals’ beloved woodland home forms a narrative arc that loosely ties the episodes together, but even so, linear reading is not required. The unrelenting sugar-rush, off-the-wall tempo and aggressively colorful and busy illustrations can become tiresome to the point of tedium. (Really, how many versions of the same gag can the audience endure?) Still, thankfully, the episodic nature lends this work well to casual reading, making it a fun choice for readers who are between Dav Pilkey titles.
Unapologetic goofiness galore, perhaps best consumed in small doses. (character drawing instructions) (Graphic animal fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781454950356
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Dec. 16, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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