In his third outing, Stanley the hamster learns firsthand what happens when you give in to peer pressure. When his turn finally arrives to take class pet Figgy home for the weekend, he and his friend Larry include the bird in everything they do. But when Larry announces that Figgy needs some exercise and should be allowed out of his cage, Stanley doesn’t think that is such a good idea—until Larry’s arguments wear him down. Larry points out that Stanley should not have listened to him, but that does not help them get Figgy back when the bird flies out an open window. Saltzberg’s acrylics perfectly capture both Stanley’s delight in finally acting as caregiver for the bird and his anxiety over choosing between that role and pleasing his friend. A final illustration depicting Figgy perched in a tree with a couple of wild birds sugar-coats the likely end of an escaped pet but will alleviate young readers’ distress on his behalf. An excellent choice for discussions about both peer pressure and friendship. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: June 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-7636-3595-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2008
Rylant (Henry and Mudge and the Sneaky Crackers, 1998, etc.) slips into a sentimental mode for this latest outing of the boy and his dog, as she sends Mudge and Henry and his parents off on a camping trip. Each character is attended to, each personality sketched in a few brief words: Henry's mother is the camping veteran with outdoor savvy; Henry's father doesn't know a tent stake from a marshmallow fork, but he's got a guitar for campfire entertainment; and the principals are their usual ready-for-fun selves. There are sappy moments, e.g., after an evening of star- gazing, Rylant sends the family off to bed with: ``Everyone slept safe and sound and there were no bears, no scares. Just the clean smell of trees . . . and wonderful green dreams.'' With its nice tempo, the story is as toasty as its campfire and swaddled in Stevenson's trusty artwork. (Fiction. 6-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-689-81175-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1998
Give this child’s-eye view of a day at the beach with an attentive father high marks for coziness: “When your ball blows across the sand and into the ocean and starts to drift away, your daddy could say, Didn’t I tell you not to play too close to the waves? But he doesn’t. He wades out into the cold water. And he brings your ball back to the beach and plays roll and catch with you.” Alley depicts a moppet and her relaxed-looking dad (to all appearances a single parent) in informally drawn beach and domestic settings: playing together, snuggling up on the sofa and finally hugging each other goodnight. The third-person voice is a bit distancing, but it makes the togetherness less treacly, and Dad’s mix of love and competence is less insulting, to parents and children both, than Douglas Wood’s What Dads Can’t Do (2000), illus by Doug Cushman. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: May 23, 2005
ISBN: 0-618-00361-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2005
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