A challenging search-and-find adventure.
Grandad, Esmé, and Tate search for their cousins in this latest outing from Cronin.
As Grandad peruses a photo album, Esmé and Tate discover photos (reproduced in the frontispiece for visual reference) of “long-lost” cousins Yuki, Jada, Awan, and Luis. The intrepid trio set out to find the cousins, traveling by boat to the icy place where Yuki lives in a fanciful, three-story igloo and then by train, looking for Awan in a watery landscape of bridges and boats. Next, they strap into a plane, flying above rainbow-striped hills where Luis lives. Finally, they cross the sand atop a camel to Jada’s desert town. Following a family reunion and group photo, Grandad discovers they’ve lost their goggles, canteen, whistle, compass, telescope, and sailor hat (all visually reproduced to aid detection) along the way and must retrace their steps to find the missing gear. Once again, Cronin (The Lost Christmas, 2018, etc.) orchestrates cunning visual challenges, directly inviting readers to search four distinct, amazingly detailed, surreal landscapes to locate Yuki, Jada, Awan, and Luis and then double back to find the diabolically concealed lost items. Forming mazes of pattern and line, psychedelic acrylic illustrations beg close inspection of wonderland details and nonsensical juxtapositions. It is a pity that this canine extended family’s search rests upon stereotypically exotic cues, however.
A challenging search-and-find adventure. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-4514-7908-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
Count on construction die-hards falling in love, but discerning readers would be wise to look elsewhere for their...
Less ambitious than Chris Gall’s widely known Dinotrux (2009) and sequels, this British import systematically relegates each dinosaur/construction-equipment hybrid to its most logical job.
The title figures are introduced as bigger than both diggers and dinosaurs, and rhyming text and two construction-helmeted kids show just what these creatures are capable of. Each diggersaur has a specific job to do and a distinct sound effect. The dozersaurus moves rocks with a “SCRAAAAPE!!!” while the rollersaurus flattens lumps with a cheery “TOOT TOOT!!” Each diggersaur is numbered, with 12 in all, allowing this to be a counting book on the sly. As the diggersaurs (not all of which dig) perform jobs that regular construction equipment can do, albeit on a larger scale, there is no particular reason why any of them should have dinosaurlike looks other than just ’cause. Peppy computer art tries valiantly to attract attention away from the singularly unoriginal text. “Diggersaurs dig with bites so BIG, / each SCOOP creates a crater. // They’re TOUGH and STRONG / with necks so long— / they’re super EXCAVATORS!” Far more interesting are the two human characters, a white girl and a black boy, that flit about the pictures offering commentary and action. Much of the fun of the book can be found in trying to spot them on every two-page spread.
Count on construction die-hards falling in love, but discerning readers would be wise to look elsewhere for their dino/construction kicks. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-9848-4779-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A charmingly illustrated and designed work that will have trouble finding its readership.
Each letter of the alphabet gets fresh and fancy in this primer from typography guru Hische.
“Letters can be A-for-Athletic,” “J-for-Jeweled,” or “U-for-Unique,” but one thing’s for sure: “Each and every letter is AWESOME!” On each page, lowercase letters are rendered in pastel 3D block lettering, while uppercase counterparts take on stylized typographic pizzazz to match the descriptive text, which features lively adjectives that begin with the corresponding letter. Each anthropomorphized letter has a simple, expressive doodled face and stick limbs. Lowercase b uses a tiny bubble wand to blow a soapy, uppercase bubbly B. Uppercase M is drawn with curling serifs and a rabbit-filled top hat and a wand, much to the delight of the lowercase m spectator. Each scene is colorfully detailed, though visually a bit flattened by the stark white background. While the design is inspired, however, it isn’t clear who this book is intended for. The intricacies of the art may go over the heads of readers learning their ABCs; older children and typography-loving adults, as well as fans of Hische’s work, feel like this book’s true audience. Those readers may find the presentation and format a bit on the young side, while preschoolers will likely struggle with words such as vibrant, prickly, and electric.
A charmingly illustrated and designed work that will have trouble finding its readership. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2024
ISBN: 9780593385012
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2024
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