A delightful new visit with an old friend.
Martin, who gave the world the beloved Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, died in 2004, but another of his works is brought to life by his frequent collaborator, Sampson.
It’s all further enlivened by Sweet’s rosy, greeny-golden illustrations, which bring to very immediate life the animals on each page. A panoply of mommies of various ethnicities offer wake-up kisses and ask, “Can you hear the sounds of our world?” It is a big world: Gila monsters in the desert hiss; monkeys in the jungle cry “Eeee!”; lions on the plain roar (although they are baby lions, and their roars are clearly small if enthusiastic; the cubs themselves are levitating with excitement). Some of the sounds supplied do not give a very clear indication of what the animal sounds like—“Honk!” for elephants or “Wahhh!” for whales, for instance—but careful and alert adults can compensate for this while reading aloud. Each animal illustrated is listed at the end, with its habitat, location, and a fact or two. For the penguin, it is carefully pointed out that it is the male penguin who keeps the egg warm and the female who goes forth and hunts for food.
A delightful new visit with an old friend. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 15, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4424-5472-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
The spirit of Valentine’s Day shines bright in this caring community.
Gobble, gobble! Grab this farmyard story full of Valentine’s Day puns.
The animals on Farmer Jake’s farm are exchanging valentines. Delighted by a card from a secret admirer (“You are like no otter!”), Turkey decides to make clever valentines and surreptitiously deliver them to the other animals. Luckily, he has some punny inspiration for perfect Valentine’s Day messages. “You’re purr-fect.” “You’re dog-gone delightful.” “You’re toad-ally awesome!” As Turkey dons a different disguise for each delivery, the story offers a refrain that young listeners will soon chant. “His costume wasn’t bad. In fact, Turkey looked just like a cat…almost.” (The refrain changes slightly with each disguise.) Unfortunately, the other animals always recognize Turkey and greet him with a pun. But the animals also compliment his valentine and help to create a pun for his next one. Sadly, the animals always know who the valentines are from, so Turkey decides to “gobble, gobble, give up!” Returning home to read his own valentines, Turkey has an idea, and he quickly creates a festive and delicious surprise for the Valentine’s dance. Readers will have to decide if Turkey has finally managed to surprise the other animals. Boldfaced puns within the story are easy to spot, and Turkey’s cards also feature puns along with adorable illustrations. Detailed watercolor and pencil illustrations bring to life a farm filled with loving friends and highlight Turkey’s clever and ever changing costumes. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
The spirit of Valentine’s Day shines bright in this caring community. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Dec. 13, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-2366-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Two Lions
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A light dose of natural history, with occasional “EWWW!” for flavor
Having surveyed worms, spiders, flies, and head lice, Gravel continues her Disgusting Critters series with a quick hop through toad fact and fancy.
The facts are briefly presented in a hand-lettered–style typeface frequently interrupted by visually emphatic interjections (“TOXIN,” “PREY,” “EWWW!”). These are, as usual, paired to simply drawn cartoons with comments and punch lines in dialogue balloons. After casting glances at the common South American ancestor of frogs and toads, and at such exotic species as the Emei mustache toad (“Hey ladies!”), Gravel focuses on the common toad, Bufo bufo. Using feminine pronouns throughout, she describes diet and egg-laying, defense mechanisms, “warts,” development from tadpole to adult, and of course how toads shed and eat their skins. Noting that global warming and habitat destruction have rendered some species endangered or extinct, she closes with a plea and, harking back to those South American origins, an image of an outsized toad, arm in arm with a dark-skinned lad (in a track suit), waving goodbye: “Hasta la vista!”
A light dose of natural history, with occasional “EWWW!” for flavor . (Informational picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-77049-667-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2016
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