In a wordless sequel to the wordless Oink (1991), the eight piglets leave their sleeping mother and sally forth, using a handy wheeled chute as a seesaw to get over their pen's fence into a cornfield, where they garner ears of corn, then gleefully escape their pursuing mother for a picnic on a nearby island. As Mom catches up, they flee home, where she cleverly thwarts their new attempt to get out. To anyone who's ever dealt with pigs on the run, the reiterated ``oinks'' that appear in different sizes and configurations in each frame are as funny and evocative as the enthusiastic crowd of piglets, moving with a single will from episode to episode of their escapade. Geisert's etchings are always beautifully designed and crafted; tinting the pigs pink is a nice touch. A joyful adventure. (Picture book. 3-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-395-64048-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1993
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Nothing new here, but kids may get a kick out of the wacky premise and broad, pun-studded humor.
A supersilly riff on a perennial question: What do grown-ups do while kids sleep?
The child narrator, shooed off to bed with his toy duck, stalls his grown-ups with questions: “What if my duck needs a snack?” “Or a giant boulder rolls over the house?” In the mornings, “something is always just a little weird.” In this illustration, Duck lies flopped over that titular disco ball, above an open fridge that conjures Mack’s previous Duck in the Fridge (2014). The boy decides to track his parents’ nighttime whereabouts—and witnesses a rumpus that incorporates many of his previous, wild questions. Seemingly, parents and duck collaborate on chaotic fun that includes couch-diving and a multispecies party featuring snacks and hokey wordplay. Dad exuberantly yells, “I wanna rock!” Cue the duck, a crane, and a huge boulder that crashes the party—flattening the couch but not the maniacally upbeat mood. Magically, the parents fly out the window, sky-high, then fall back into bed—where the boy curls up to sleep, too. A dream, right? Maybe not: There’s that duck, tuckered out behind the couch near a familiar electric guitar. Mack’s digital pictures mix retro textile prints and boldly outlined, cartoonish depictions of round-eyed humans and animals. The boy’s parents look like kids themselves, and the trio appears white.
Nothing new here, but kids may get a kick out of the wacky premise and broad, pun-studded humor. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5039-0292-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Two Lions
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
Rodent or no, Meteor sure is one heck of a space ambassador
When NASA announces the crew of the upcoming Mars mission, Meteor the Mousetronaut is, shockingly, not on the list.
No matter; the little mouse isn’t about to let his training go to waste. He packs his spacesuit and stows away on the Galaxy, floating out to scavenge crumbs while the human crew sleeps. After six months, the Galaxy reaches Mars orbit—but one of the landing craft’s engines fails, and the remaining one isn’t strong enough to transport even one human. Meteor volunteers for duty and, equipped with a tiny American flag, descends to the Red Planet to gather rock samples. Six months later, he returns to Earth to be welcomed as a hero with the other astronauts. While this story inevitably lacks the freshness of Meteor’s debut (Mousetronaut, 2012), Kelly’s prose and storytelling have matured, and Meteor’s enthusiasm is as infectious as ever. Payne’s delightfully regular-looking, multiethnic and gender-inclusive crew displays the same winning combination of heroism and lumpiness (the mission commander has an endearingly potatolike face) that distinguished the first adventure. Perhaps what’s most striking about this book, though, is the four-page afterword, in which Kelly summarizes the history of Mars exploration and discusses the potential for a real manned mission. His eloquence in advocating for a vigorous space program bespeaks both passion and experience.
Rodent or no, Meteor sure is one heck of a space ambassador . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4424-8426-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 27, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
