Here’s hoping there will be more adventures with Nelly and her family.
Fans of the Llama Llama series can rejoice—best-selling author Dewdney is back with another one, this time featuring Nelly Gnu and her ever helpful daddy.
Having made her first appearance in Llama Llama, Time to Share (2012), Nelly is back and quite industrious as she and her father work together to build a playhouse. Rhyming couplets cheerily describe the activity: “A great big box, some tape and string— / Daddy can make anything! // First they measure. Then they draw. / Nelly tapes, and Daddy saws.” As the project takes shape, Nelly decides that the playhouse needs some decorating. Off the pair goes to get paint and brushes at the store. Nelly laughs as she rides high on Daddy’s shoulders, and she is amazed at all the colors of paint she sees on the shelves. Amid the hustle and bustle, Nelly suddenly loses sight of her father and has a moment of panic. The full-bleed spread of Nelly alone in a sea of shoppers, viewed from above, brings emotional heft to the otherwise innocuous preschool story. But the page turn reveals Nelly in close-up, being embraced by the two strong arms of her dad. All ends well as they complete their special day painting “the house with brick designs. / Big bright flowers, climbing vines.” Dewdney clearly knows her audience and delivers an engaging story illustrated with a rainbow of vibrant hues that preschoolers will love.
Here’s hoping there will be more adventures with Nelly and her family. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 6, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-670-01227-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2014
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A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren.
In talk-show host Fallon and illustrator Ordóñez’s latest picture-book collaboration, an elderly pooch waxes rhapsodic about a life well lived.
Observing Papa sitting in his chair watching TV all day, a young pup says, “I’m starting to think…you don’t do ANYTHING.” So Papa proceeds to list his accomplishments, both big and small, mundane and profound. Some are just a result of being older and physically bigger (being tall enough to reach a high shelf and strong enough to open jars); others include winning a race and performing in a band when he was younger. Eventually, the pup realizes that while Papa may have slowed down in his old age, he’s led a full life. The most satisfying thing about Papa’s life now? Watching his grandchild take center stage: “I can say lots of thoughts / but I choose to be quiet. / I’d rather you discover things and then try it.” Fallon’s straightforward text is sweetly upbeat, though it occasionally lacks flow, forcing incongruous situations together to fit the rhyme scheme (“I cook and I mow, / and I once flew a plane. // I play newspaper puzzles because it’s good for my brain”). Featuring uncluttered, colorful backgrounds, Ordóñez’s child-friendly digital art at times takes on sepia tones, evoking the sense of looking back at old photos or memories. Though the creators tread familiar ground, the love between Papa and his little one is palpable.
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781250393975
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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