A note from a secret admirer springs a rat from the slough of despond in this deft US debut. It looks like just another day of “bathrobe blues” for lonely, depressed Rat, until he gets a piece of unsigned fan mail: “Dear Rat, this letter is from someone who really admires you. I think you are very special. . . .” Who sent it? Rat cleans up and visits Mouse, who says no. Maybe Frog? But Frog’s laid up with a broken leg. Bat? No—but Bat seems pretty gloomy too. Just getting out and helping his friends so brightens Rat’s outlook, however, that in no time he’s planning a party, and penning a letter to his mopey friend: “Dear Bat, this letter is from someone. . . . ” Beeke tracks Rat’s rising spirits with cartoon illustrations in watery blues that give way to sunny yellows and greens, culminating in a grand picnic that even a now-smiling Bat swoops down to attend. So who did write the original letter? A wink is the only clue. Try this mood-changer on downhearted children; it’s as infectiously uplifting as Mrs. Biddlebox (2002). (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-7636-2255-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2003
At her best, Rylant’s (The Ticky-Tacky Doll, below, etc.) sweetness and sentiment fills the heart; in this outing, however, sentimentality reigns and the end result is pretty gooey. Pandora keeps a lighthouse: her destiny is to protect ships at sea. She’s lonely, but loves her work. She rescues Seabold and heals his broken leg, and he stays on to mend his shipwrecked boat. This wouldn’t be so bad but Pandora’s a cat and Seabold a dog, although they are anthropomorphized to the max. Then the duo rescue three siblings—mice!—and make a family together, although Rylant is careful to note that Pandora and Seabold each have their own room. Choosing what you love, caring for others, making a family out of love, it is all very well, but this capsizes into silliness. Formatted to look like the start of a new series. Oh, dear. (Fiction. 6-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-689-84880-3
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2002
A Cinderella parody features the off-the-wall, whang-dang Texas hyperbole of Ketteman (The Year of No More Corn, 1993, etc.) and the insouciance of Warhola, who proves himself only too capable of creating a fairy godcow; that she's so appealingly whimsical makes it easy to accept the classic tale's inversions. The protagonist is Bubba, appropriately downtrodden and overworked by his wicked stepdaddy and loathsome brothers Dwayne and Milton, who spend their days bossing him around. The other half of the happy couple is Miz Lurleen, who owns ``the biggest spread west of the Brazos.'' She craves male companionship to help her work the place, ``and it wouldn't hurt if he was cute as a cow's ear, either.'' There are no surprises in this version except in the hilarious way the premise plays itself out and in Warhola's delightful visual surprises. When Lurleen tracks the bootless Bubba down, ``Dwayne and Milton and their wicked daddy threw chicken fits.'' Bubba and babe, hair as big as a Texas sun, ride off to a life of happy ranching, and readers will be proud to have been along for the courtship. (Picture book/folklore. 6-8)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-590-25506-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1997
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