Lakas, a young Filipino American, befriends several street performers who all live in the Makibaka Hotel. The hotel (a stand-in for a real San Francisco apartment building threatened with closing in 2002) becomes the focus of a musical protest when Lakas organizes the larger-than-life tenants: Tick A. Boom, the hip drummer with the gold tooth, Firefoot, a tap-dancer whose shoes throw off sparks and Fernando, the Karaoke King, an Elvis impersonator. Makibaka is the Tagalog word for struggle, and Robles is making a didactic political statement about solidarity in the fight against gentrification. Whether kids will be interested is the question, but the sugar coating may help. The vivid paintings have a cartoon quality that punches off the page and there are some fun touches: The landlord wears a hat and suit of $1000 bills. (bilingual English-Tagalog text) (Picture book. 6-9)
Pub Date: April 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-89239-213-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Children's Book Press
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2006
A charmer that’s sure to garner its protagonist a devoted following—much to his chagrin.
This anti-social lupine just wants to be alone.
Wolf—the sole animal in class 2B—growls at the children until they all huddle at the far end of the room. Mrs. Horsefly asks him to leave, so he visits an empty cinema. Another moviegoer arrives, so Wolf tries unsuccessfully to get rid of him, then heads for the shore. Happily, the beach is deserted, but, breaking open a bag of chips, he’s set upon by voracious seagulls, which eat his snack as he chases them. After laboring up a mountain, Wolf is briefly alone—until he’s joined by a clueless hiker intent on photographing Wolf. Wolf devises a plan: He invites everyone he’s encountered to a party at his house. They all arrive: kids, teacher, seagulls, movie theater patron, hiker. Just as Wolf had imagined, “It was horrible.” But absconding to the now-vacant theater, beach, mountain, and classroom, Wolf is “finally…alone.” Originality, mordant humor, copious, detailed color drawings, and a resolutely understated text make this tale a winner. A confirmed introvert, consistently ornery and ultimately unreformed, Wolf is a refreshing character who even becomes sort of admirable in his grumpy single-mindedness. Expressive cartoon art depicts him as doglike, though not cuddly; still, Wolf won’t scare readers, who are more likely to hope for a stuffie version. Human characters are diverse.
A charmer that’s sure to garner its protagonist a devoted following—much to his chagrin. (Early reader. 6-9)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2024
ISBN: 9780823457779
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Neal Porter/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2024
PERSPECTIVES
Bland pictures and superficial presentation sink this problem-solver. Feeling slighted by new neighbor Jeremy, the aggrieved young narrator accepts his father’s offer to make an “enemy pie.” Dad insists on doing the baking, but tells the lad that the recipe also requires spending a day playing with the enemy—after which, predictably, the two lads sit down as newly minted friends for pie à la mode. Though the narrator speculates about the pie’s ingredients, the promisingly gross worm-and-weed dishes on the cover never materialize in the illustrations inside, nor are any of Jeremy’s supposed offenses depicted. Instead, King shows the boys in a series of conventional, static scenes, throwing water balloons at girls and other fun activities. Meanwhile, Dad’s fixed, knowing smile invites viewers to share the conceit—even though his naïve son never does catch on. And is Jeremy really so hostile? He displays so little individual character that it’s hard to get a read on him; he just seems to be going with the flow. Invite readers to order up a bowl of Betsy Everitt’s Mean Soup (1992) instead, or a slice of Margie Palatini’s Piggie Pie (1995). (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-8118-2778-X
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
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