The Littles are a staid lot, formal to a fault. When they deign to let a dog into their house, there will be rules. Papa wants the dog, Sally Dog Little (“They never call her Sally for short. Formal families are not fond of ‘for short’ ”), to bark only at burglars; Mama wants her to attend her thrice-daily walks; little Twinkle Little wants her to sleep on her bed at night. Sally abides, until one day a pair of ghost pirates breezes into the house. Sally lets loose a howl. The Littles come running, but can’t see the ghosts. They admonish Sally: “If this happens again, you will have to go.” Sally realizes the ghosts must leave—if they stay she may well give an inadvertent bark—so she queries them as to their intentions. The pirates, Swiggity Jim and his dog Needles, inform Sally they are on their way to the place that ghosts go, but they need a piece of treasure to get there. That treasure, they say, might well be buried under the oak tree out back. That night they dig up a great treasure chest—“Har, har,” says Swiggity—but all Swiggity and Needles want is the map contained therein, leaving the treasure to Sally, telling her to help herself and then bury what remains for someone else to find. Sally grabs what most fetches her fancy—a big bone, obviously once the pearl in Needles’s eye—and buries the rest. The Littles are no wiser, nor, it seems, will they ever be to life’s strange pleasures. A well-told tale that tweaks the Littles enough you’d think some of their stuffing might fall out, and illustrated with the bright edginess of a Lane Smith, exaggerated to a fare-thee-well. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2002
ISBN: 1-55037-759-0
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2002
Young readers will be “antsy” to join the hero on her satisfying escapade.
An ant explores her world.
Addie Ant’s ready for adventure. Despite some trepidation about leaving the Tomato Bed, where she lives with her aunt, she plucks up her courage and ventures forth across the garden to the far side of the shed. On her journey, she meets her pal Lewis Ladybug, who greets her warmly, points the way, and offers sage advice. When Addie arrives at her destination, she’s welcomed by lovely Beatrix Butterfly and enjoys an “ant-tastic” helping of watermelon. Beatrix also provides Addie with take-home treats and a map for the “Cricket Express,” which will take her straight home. Arriving at the terminal, Addie’s delighted to meet another friend, Cleo Cricket, whose carriage service returns Addie home in “two hops.” After eating a warm tomato soup dinner, Addie falls asleep and dreams of future exploits. Adorable though not terribly original, this story brims with sensuous pleasures, both textual and visual. Kids who declare that they dislike fruits or veggies may find their mouths watering at the mentions and sights of luscious tomatoes, peas, beans, watermelons, berries, and other foodstuffs; insect-averse readers may likewise think differently after encountering these convivial, wide-eyed characters. And those flowers and herbs everywhere! The highlights are the colors that burst from the pages. Addie’s an endearing, empowering character who reassures children they’ll be able to take those first independent steps successfully.
Young readers will be “antsy” to join the hero on her satisfying escapade. (author’s note about ants) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 9, 2024
ISBN: 9781797228914
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
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