Wonderfully wacky.
Cockatoos and their toucan buddies (Cockatoo, Too, 2015) are once again the stars of a wacky adventure.
This time the silliness involves two toucans’ misinterpretation of the cockatoos’ intentions regarding two cans. Each of two cockatoos brings a can of food and a large cooking utensil to a wooden bowl sitting on the jungle floor. As they pour the food into the bowl, they spot the toucans, who hear them say “Toucans, too,” but think they said “Toucan stew.” Naturally the toucans run for their lives as the cockatoos give chase, trying desperately to clear up the misconception. Reassured, the toucans come back in a canoe with two cans of their own. Readers will need to watch out for the gnus as they start out across the water and come closer and closer with each development so they might share in the stew too. A very few words in various combinations are arranged, in large, widely spaced type, across double-page spreads on white backgrounds. The setting is filled with many shades of green, inviting blue water, and a softly clouded sky. The creatures express their emotions with changes in their eyes and beaks. The toucans appear especially demented as they put on the brakes when they visualize toucan stew. And then there are the cuckoos. The words twist, and the fun escalates.
Wonderfully wacky. (Picture book. 2-7)Pub Date: May 2, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0421-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 19, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2017
This TV rerun in board-book form has nothing new to offer.
Peppa hopes to join her classmates in a Halloween pumpkin competition in this adaptation of a story from the popular British television program Peppa Pig.
With the help of Granny and Grandpa Pig, Peppa turns her giant pumpkin, which is the size of a compact car, into a jack-o’-lantern. The trio is flummoxed when it comes time to transport the pumpkin to the competition, so they call on Miss Rabbit and her helicopter to airlift the pumpkin to the festivities as Peppa and her grandparents ride inside. Peppa arrives just in time for the contest and wins the prize for best flying pumpkin. The scenes look as if they are pulled directly from the television show, right down to the rectangular framing of some of the scenes. While the story is literally nothing new, the text is serviceable, describing the action in two to three sentences per page. The pumpkin-shaped book and orange foil cover will likely attract youngsters, whether they are Peppa fans or not.
This TV rerun in board-book form has nothing new to offer. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 30, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-33922-2
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2019
Young listeners of all stripes (and species) will enjoy this warmhearted celebration of literacy and imagination.
An enthusiastic reader teaches his two cats to appreciate books, though it takes extra effort to interest one of them in the endeavor.
Nick is a round-headed, early-elementary-sized, brown-skinned child with a fluff of curly hair and two cats, Verne and Stevenson. All three enjoy frolicking together, but when Nick wants to read, one cat ignores him, and the other sprawls on the volume open in his lap (a habit that will be familiar to cat lovers of all ages). The latter, Verne, a small cat with orange-and-brown stripes and a cheerful disposition, is amenable to Nick’s instruction. “But not Stevenson,” who frowns, runs away, and even hisses. When Nick and Verne discover Stevenson’s fascination with pirates, however, they have the hook they need. Nick’s efforts are both logical and methodical, and once he has achieved his goal, he and his feline friends find ways to incorporate their favorite stories into all kinds of imaginative play. Manley’s conversational text flows smoothly and has a matter-of-fact tone that grounds the fantastical elements. Berube’s charmingly childlike art, created in ink, Flashe paint, and acrylic paint, captures the cats’ personalities perfectly and creates a cozy, everyday world with just enough amusing details to reward repeat readings.
Young listeners of all stripes (and species) will enjoy this warmhearted celebration of literacy and imagination. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-3569-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2016
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