Unique illustrations create an enticing day at the beach for a mischievous mutt.
While Frido’s owner snoozes by the shore, the adventurous pup secretly explores the beach.
Curious Frido samples both sand and ice cream, surfs, swims, and even takes a dance break. All of this fun in the sun tires out the little pup so that when Frido’s owner wakes up, she’s ready for a swim and Frido’s ready for a nap. Nascimbeni’s illustrations are highly stylized with a limited palette of burnt orange, sage green, and a muted goldenrod. The drawings appear to be rendered in black pen on paper, with color used sparingly and to great effect. The clever use of shapes and lines turns a set of semicircles and circles into a group of crowded beach umbrellas and a lifeguard stand. Some pages include many labeled images, like a scene where Frido takes a dip or a page where Frido’s owner packs for the beach, and sound words (“SPLISH SPLASH,” “SQUISH,” “GRRRR”) appear throughout. While these are sometimes helpful for vocabulary and identification purposes—as with the labeled names of fish—others are a distraction that make the pages unnecessarily busy. Human characters have a wide range of skin tones; Frido’s owner is white-skinned, though her face is never visible. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Unique illustrations create an enticing day at the beach for a mischievous mutt. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: July 19, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-500-65295-4
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
PERSPECTIVES
Perfect for every underdog who wants to have a say.
A dog-loving child encourages a less-than-enthusiastic younger one to imagine they’re both canines.
From the first declaration—“I’d be a big dog! And you’d be a little one!”—readers know who’s calling the shots. Initially, the protagonists cavort off the page and through the neighborhood together, performing doggy capers such as tail wagging, stick carrying, and dirt digging. But by the time they encounter a multitude of like-minded creatures at the dog park, the disgruntled small pup is exhibiting out-and-out rebellion: “Being a dog is YOUR idea! Sometimes I HAVE IDEAS TOO!” The narrative wraps up with the younger child pretending to be a different animal entirely—cleverly foreshadowed through subtle details in the illustrations. Even the endpapers—lively silhouettes of dogs in the beginning and many different animals in closing—extend the theme to suggest the imaginative possibilities of pretend play. Cheerful, lightly hued colors fit the whimsical mood, while expressive body language allows the art to tell the story with a minimum of words. Ending on a surprising note, with a sweet compromise between the two main characters, the tale gives both kids the freedom to embrace their own preferences and styles—while still enjoying their game.
Perfect for every underdog who wants to have a say. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2025
ISBN: 9780316581721
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2025
A funny tale about stress and an ever upping ante, with a comforting end.
Something is preventing Owl from falling asleep.
Owl leans back against his white pillow and headboard. “Squeek!” says something underneath the bed. Owl’s never heard that sound before, so he fastens his pink bathrobe and answers the front door. Nobody. It must be the wind; back to bed. Bidding himself goodnight, he climbs into bed—and hears the noise again. Time after time, he pops out of bed seeking the squeaker. Is it in the cupboard? He empties the shelves. Under the floor? He pulls up his floorboards. As Owl’s actions ratchet up—he destroys the roof and smashes the walls, all in search of the squeak—so does his anxiety. Not until he hunkers down in bed under the night sky (his bed is now outdoors, because the house’s roof and walls are gone), frantically clutching his pillow, does he see what readers have seen all along: a small, gray mouse. In simple illustrations with black outlines, textured coloring, and foreshortened perspective, Pizzoli plays mischievously with mouse placement. Sometimes the mouse is behind Owl or just out of his sightline; other times, the mouse is on a solid, orange-colored page across the spread from Owl, which removes him from Owl’s scene in a rather postmodern manner. Is the mouse toying with Owl? Who knows?
A funny tale about stress and an ever upping ante, with a comforting end. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 19, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4847-1275-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2016
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