Not particularly original but a sweet addition to the shelf of translated picture books.
Two neighbors could not be more different than Mr. Gray and Miss Frolic.
Mr. Gray is a numbers man and a famous professor. Everything about him is gray: his house, his dog, Tuffy, his clothes, and even his canary. He also hates noise, so he is forever annoyed with his neighbor, Frieda Frolic, who disturbs his morning meditations by “cheerfully warbling, singing, and laughing” and puttering about her garden with her piglet, Rosa. Miss Frolic is quite colorful; in fact, she is a painter. One afternoon, she is painting an especially beautiful and lifelike yellow bird when it comes to life and flies over to Mr. Gray’s house. He is just about to tell Miss Frolic off when she removes her sunglasses. He sees her beautiful blue-gray eyes and is smitten. They begin spending much time together. Mr. Gray becomes more colorful, and eventually, he proposes marriage. The two sail off together in “life’s boat” with a now happy Tuffy, Rosa the piglet, Miss Frolic’s yellow bird, and Mr. Gray’s no-longer-gray canary. First published in Switzerland (Herr Grau & Frieda Fröhlich, 2021), this translation by Wilson tells a simple, unlikely love story with colored-pencil illustrations that are charming and mirror Mr. Gray’s journey from drab to fab. There is a lot of text for a picture book, and because of the small font, this book is probably best shared one-on-one. The protagonists are White. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Not particularly original but a sweet addition to the shelf of translated picture books. (Picture book. 2-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-7358-4473-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
Not one to pick up.
This French import delivers a child’s litany of requests to Mommy but doesn’t offer much of a story.
Bravi’s eye-catching art employs vibrant hues and thick, black outlines that echo the bold lettering in the speech-balloon text. Although the first spread shows the child trying to fix breakfast alone (“MOMMY?! THERE’S NO MORE CEREAL”), subsequent ones do not obviously follow the chronology of a typical day as the child calls out, time and again, for Mommy. She doesn’t appear in the illustrations until the ninth spread, and then only as a lap on which the child wishes to sit (the rest of her body is obscured by the speech-balloon request). And although she appears twice more in response to other requests, she never speaks. Daddy, however, does: “YES!” he responds after being called twice. The punch line is that this child only calls on Daddy this one time in order to ask, “Where’s Mommy?” It’s a tired end to a wearying text that seems hard-pressed to engage a child reader or to avoid alienating mommies. Both parents and child are white.
Not one to pick up. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-374-30268-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
How many toilet-training manuals take the toilet’s side? (Picture book. 3-5)
Feeling hurt because young Danny refuses to sit on it, a toilet heads for…browner pastures.
Danny will happily sit on chairs and sofas, but the commode makes him anxious. Considerably bummed (“He hates me”), said fixture at last packs its plunger and departs—the very night before Danny decides it’s finally time. As the toilet leisurely takes in a movie, visits an art museum, and poses for photos with tourists, Danny and his mom set off on a frantic search through “all the wrong places” (port-a-potties and public restrooms) before sighting their quarry at last on the subway to (where else) Flushing Meadows. Reconciliation ensues, differences are papered over, and one reminder to flush later, the whole family (toilet included) rushes away to celebrate. Ricks endows his angst-y porcelain protagonist with anthropomorphic facial features and deposits it and Danny’s family in a New York(ish) setting splashed with suggestive ads (“Feeling Drained?”) and signage. Danny and his mom have red hair and pale skin, while Danny’s dad has black hair and somewhat darker skin. Aside from the visual innuendo, there is nary a whiff of what might be going into the toilet (nor any mention of urination), and the focus seems to be more on alienation issues than excretory give and take. Still, the episode may give children who share Danny’s anxiety a handle on their feelings.
How many toilet-training manuals take the toilet’s side? (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 7, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-5122-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
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