This chimp is a worthwhile companion; young readers will no doubt answer his call.
Ten classic tales serve as backdrops for one primate’s book-hopping adventures at a local library.
Every time Willy walks through a pair of nondescript black doors, he knows to expect “something incredible” to happen on the other side. Aboard a ship he hides inside an apple barrel and overhears a sailor named Long John Silver plot for treasure and murder. In a forest, he encounters an old woman who asks him to plunge into a “very deep and very dark” hollow tree trunk to retrieve a tinderbox. Browne applies subtle stylistic differences to each world he re-creates, reimagining well-known stories for adult and child readers alike. Half the thrill arises from wondering what will come next for Willy. The subsequent momentum steadily encourages curiosity, an effect heightened when the chimp directly poses questions to readers (“Can you guess what happened next?”). Whether in Wonderland or the Wild Wood, actual books appear as trees, houses, and even the teeth of a monstrous sea creature, hinting at the underlying role of books in shaping imagination. Details specific to each story vary in degree from spread to spread, but Willy remains a constant source of amusement during every excursion. His good-humored facial expressions say more about each tale than words do.
This chimp is a worthwhile companion; young readers will no doubt answer his call. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7761-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2015
Funny and thought provoking.
The hidden history of one of the world’s most popular pieces of furniture.
An anthropomorphized fox in a purple jacket and green pants stands on a stage, showcasing various kinds of sofas and what they’re used for: eating, sleeping, dance parties, and sliding down pillows. Just as the fox is about to provide a demonstration of that last activity, complete with a drawing, an opossum in a gray pinstriped suit emerges: “You can’t show that to children! Someone could break their neck!” Using a tape dispenser–like machine, the opossum covers up the offending image with a black censor bar. The fox continues to expose “truths” about couches: Some of them grow on farms (“Where do you think we got the term couch potato?”); they have an insatiable hunger, which leads to objects disappearing among the cushions; and some are actually aliens in disguise. The opossum is skeptical, but when a chaotic parade of couches enter the scene to prove the fox right, the opossum is forced to reconsider. This is a hilarious send-up of conspiracy theories and adults’ attempts to shelter children from the real world. Depicting elegantly attired creatures, Liniers’ muted artwork contrasts humorously with the surreal scenarios depicted. The dialogue between the fox and opossum is entertaining, but grown-ups might want to pre-read before read-alouds to avoid tripping over some phrasing (e.g., “secret elite couch enforcement squadron”).
Funny and thought provoking. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 23, 2024
ISBN: 9780593619131
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
A snug, funny round of hijinks by low dogs.
Housebound wiener dogs Augie and Perry get up to no good when left on their own.
Posing his pooches on four legs or, anthropomorphically, two (or even, at the beginning, as busts on stands), Falconer takes a break from his long-running Olivia series to proffer as winsome a doggy duo as ever was. Drawn with great and often hilariously expressive precision—and frequently placed on entirely blank backgrounds to call attention to the fact—the two dachshunds appear at first glance as dignified as “little Roman emperors.” Appearances can be deceiving, though: “Most of the time Augie looked more serious. Perry was all over the place.” As their human family, never seen (except once as light-skinned hands), is gone all day at work or school, the dogs look for ways to relieve their boredom…first by tussling over a ball, then by figuring out how to open the back door to an exciting world of flowers to water, a pool to splash in, and, best of all, a lawn to excavate (“Dachshunds love to dig”). The sound of a car pulling in may touch off some momentary panic (“We’re going to get in TROUBLE, Augie!”), but dachshunds are also smart enough to run back inside and exude innocence convincingly enough to earn treats rather than punishment. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A snug, funny round of hijinks by low dogs. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: June 28, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-295447-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Michael di Capua/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
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