This title feeds and calms listeners’ imaginations in the most delightful way.
The book jacket’s depiction of a Leonardo da Vinci–esque creature transporting a child across an emerald sky signals a highly original approach to a pitch for a pet.
Sporting a scarlet bowler hat, the cylindrically shaped girl describes her requirements: cuddly but strong; adept at flying and swimming; capable of shrinking and growing on demand. The dialogue indicates that she is talking with her parents. They may be offstage, but it is also possible that what seems to be the monster/pet on the facing page (and elsewhere) is a dreamy composite of the parents—a provocative ambiguity. Soon after Rikki crawls into bed, a voice invites her to play hide-and-seek. The ensuing nocturnal adventure involves the rhinoceroslike creature’s fulfillment of her wishes. Composed of a patchwork of foil and saturated colors (especially red and green) and replete with a tusk, wings, and stylish shoes, the monster continuously morphs, expanding at the climax to escape a spiky sea ogre. While the textured scenes are mysterious and quirky, and the protagonist is anxious at times, the award-winning, Czech-born collaborators balance tension with joy: “Rikki’s heart beats faster, full of excitement.” Girl and pet have fully bonded by the conclusion, when the child asks the monster to stay “please, and always protect me.”
This title feeds and calms listeners’ imaginations in the most delightful way. (Picture book.4-6)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-988-8240-47-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: minedition
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2015
The lack of adventure and the pat, pedestrian resolution makes this an ineffective if well-intentioned appeal to get past...
Unfortunately for one disgruntled snow beast, there isn’t a whole lot to do on the mountain aside from snoring or comparing relative foot size (big, bigger, biggest).
Tobogganing all the way down on his prodigious rump, Snow Beast lands in town to start his search for a friend. Snow Beast is as large as a three-story building, and his voice is just as huge. Despite having the conversational skills of a caveman—“SNOW BEAST WANT PLAY!”—Snow Beast appears to know a lot about the rules of friendship, such as always starting with “Hello,” and “to try to join in.” Nevertheless, Snow Beast’s overtures of friendship are rejected by everyone—from the five o’clock shadowed snow-shoveler to the shrieking Christmas-light committee. Penny, a little white girl who loves snow but knows enough to be wary of snow beasts, screeches and runs after his bellowed, “HELLO!!” But when Snow Beast starts crying, Penny, despite her dog’s advice to the contrary, invites the beast to play. And that’s about it, as far as plot is concerned. Gosier’s spare illustrations evoke the animation style of the 1950s. Speech bubbles capture the scant lines of dialogue as well as every screech, shriek, and howl of the terrified townsfolk.
The lack of adventure and the pat, pedestrian resolution makes this an ineffective if well-intentioned appeal to get past the unreliability of first impressions. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-62672-519-5
Page Count: 34
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
For readers on the Pigeon end of the spectrum, this will hit the spot, but those who love Willems’ quieter protagonists may...
With Willems’ name on it, this abecedary is bound to be zany—and it is.
This over-the-top “smorgasbord” is a tale of a raucous creature that chomps and chews everything in sight, from A to Z. But wait—this is not one of Willems’ simple Elephant and Piggie early readers, nor is it the story of a little girl and her beloved stuffed bunny. This creature is not avian, but it’s a kissing cousin to Willems’ pigeon. The blocky purple character with googly orange eyes wears a blue-and-red–striped shirt and pants (or perhaps pajamas), and it has a black, bulbous nose and protruding white teeth. The beginning letters of its monumental meal stand for common edible items: “Apple! Berries! Cereal!” Then it goes bananas, eating “Furniture!…Kilt! Lunch Box! [and] Napkins!” that induce a run to the “POTTY!” No one will be surprised to learn that the creature is “Queasy” and needs to “Vomit.” An adult figure arrives on the scene with hugs and kisses (“XO-XO-XO!”), and the creature emits a huge “YAWN…” and is finally “Zonked.” Children will follow right along with the creature’s mishaps, and they will enjoy predicting (incorrectly) what it might eat and (correctly) what happens as its face starts to turn green. They’ll also appreciate the kindliness of the adult figure who shows no anger but instead tends lovingly to its charge.
For readers on the Pigeon end of the spectrum, this will hit the spot, but those who love Willems’ quieter protagonists may find it an abrupt change of pace. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-368-01352-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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