One might expect that the creator of Frog and Toad could, if he chose, give us fables with some subtlety and psychological depth. But there's not a jot of wit, wisdom, style, or originality in these 20 flat and predictable items. The illustrations could be animal companions to the human figures for Gregory Griggs (1978), Lobel's nursery rhyme collection; but these suffer for having less to illustrate. Lobel begins with the static portrait of a foolish crocodile, who prefers the patterned flowers on his bedroom wallpaper to the tangled profusion of his wife's real garden. And so? He simply stays in bed and turns "a very pale and sickly shade of green." Even the moral is redundant: "Without a doubt there is such a thing as too much order." The third fable is another platitude in story form: a little Beetle topples an imperious Lion King who demands respect. "If you look at me closely you will see that I am making a bow," says the Beetle, whereupon King Lion bends over and, top-heavy with jeweled crown and medals, loses his balance. Meanwhile, in the second entry, Lobel has added a twist of sorts, possibly for a joke; but it's counterproductive. It starts out with two duck sisters arguing about whether they will go to the pond by their usual route or try something new. "This road makes me feel comfortable. I am accustomed to it," says one. We're set up for a confrontation between the stodgy and the venturesome, right? But then instead of confirming, modifying, or exposing the expected conclusion, Lobel fudges the issue: a fox, who knows their habits, is waiting to bag them on their regular route. Moral: "At times, a change of routine can be most healthful." In another fable, Lobel evokes Aesop with a crane inviting a pelican to tea, only to set forth a cautionary lesson in table manners. (And the consequence of messy pelican's bad ones is merely that he isn't invited back.) All of which serves to confirm Lobel's moral for his story of "The Frogs at the Rainbow's End": "The highest hopes may lead to the greatest disappointments.
Pub Date: Aug. 20, 1980
ISBN: 0064430464
Page Count: 52
Publisher: Harper & Row
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1980
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
We challenge anyone to read this and keep a straight face.
Four misunderstood villains endeavor to turn over a new leaf…or a new rap sheet in Blabey's frenzied romp.
As readers open the first page of this early chapter book, Mr. Wolf is right there to greet them, bemoaning his reputation. "Just because I've got BIG POINTY TEETH and RAZOR-SHARP CLAWS and I occasionally like to dress up like an OLD LADY, that doesn't mean… / … I'm a BAD GUY." To prove this very fact, Mr. Wolf enlists three equally slandered friends into the Good Guys Club: Mr. Snake (aka the Chicken Swallower), Mr. Piranha (aka the Butt Biter), and Mr. Shark (aka Jaws). After some convincing from Mr. Wolf, the foursome sets off determined to un-smirch their names (and reluctantly curbing their appetites). Although these predators find that not everyone is ready to be at the receiving end of their helpful efforts, they use all their Bad Guy know-how to manage a few hilarious good deeds. Blabey has hit the proverbial nail on the head, kissed it full on the mouth, and handed it a stick of Acme dynamite. With illustrations that startle in their manic comedy and deadpan direct address and with a narrative that follows four endearingly sardonic characters trying to push past (sometimes successfully) their fear-causing natures, this book instantly joins the classic ranks of Captain Underpants and The Stinky Cheese Man.
We challenge anyone to read this and keep a straight face. (Fiction. 7-11)Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-545-91240-2
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre.
Ice princess Lina must navigate family and school in this early chapter read.
The family picnic is today. This is not a typical gathering, since Lina’s maternal relatives are a royal family of Windtamers who have power over the weather and live in castles floating on clouds. Lina herself is mixed race, with black hair and a tan complexion like her Asian-presenting mother’s; her Groundling father appears to be a white human. While making a grand entrance at the castle of her grandfather, the North Wind, she fails to successfully ride a gust of wind and crashes in front of her entire family. This prompts her stern grandfather to ask that Lina move in with him so he can teach her to control her powers. Desperate to avoid this, Lina and her friend Claudia, who is black, get Lina accepted at the Hilltop Science and Arts Academy. Lina’s parents allow her to go as long as she does lessons with grandpa on Saturdays. However, fitting in at a Groundling school is rough, especially when your powers start freak winter storms! With the story unfurling in diary format, bright-pink–highlighted grayscale illustrations help move the plot along. There are slight gaps in the storytelling and the pacing is occasionally uneven, but Lina is full of spunk and promotes self-acceptance.
A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre. (Fantasy. 5-8)Pub Date: June 25, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-35393-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
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