by Bridget Heos ; illustrated by Joy Ang ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2019
Good fun.
The hirsute baby buddies (Mustache Baby Meets His Match, 2015, etc.) are back for more adventures!
Mustachioed baby Billy and bearded baby Javier are spending the day at the pool, a perfect place to explore the high seas and rescue shipwrecked passengers (a floating Barbie), save stranded whales (a sunbather lying next to the pool), and fight sea monsters (a snorkeling swimmer). They become fishermen and submarine scientists and Navy sailors….However, two pirates named Capt. Kid and Short John Silver have stolen treasure and are burying it on a deserted island (the sandbox). Sailors Billy and Javier recover the treasure and start to return it to its rightful owners when: Pirates attack! During the resultant duel, Billy’s mustache grows long and curly and Javier’s beard gets pointy—suddenly they are “bad guy” pirates too! Their greed is their undoing, and they are put in the dungeon (separate pack and plays). When they wake, they do everything to become heroes again…even befriend Capt. Kid and Short John Silver. This silly tale of hairy-faced babies who are bad some of the time and learn from their mistakes, Heos and Ang’s third outing together, is a good addition to pirate storytimes or hairy-baby collections. In Ang’s stylized digital illustrations, Billy presents white, presumably Latinx Javier is light brown; Short John Silver is black; and Capt. Kid has olive skin and a fluffy black bob.
Good fun. (Picture book. 2-7)Pub Date: March 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-328-50652-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2018
Share your opinion of this book
More by Bridget Heos
BOOK REVIEW
by Bridget Heos ; illustrated by John D. Dawson
BOOK REVIEW
by Bridget Heos ; illustrated by Mike Ciccotello
BOOK REVIEW
by Bridget Heos ; illustrated by Mike Ciccotello
by Sophie Blackall ; illustrated by Sophie Blackall ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 2, 2024
Avast, me mateys! This be good clean fun on the salty seas.
Using one’s imagination is a lot easier when everybody is on board.
“What are you playing?” an amused parent asks a small child. The little one cries out resolutely, “I’M NOT PLAYING!” After all, a storm is on its way, and it’s time to fit out the ship. The adult’s gentle protestations (“Um, I kind of need to vacuum the rug”) are no match for the undeniable fact that the rug is, in fact, the ocean. Soon enough the two are raising the mainsail, swabbing the poop deck, hoisting the burgee, and more (a helpful glossary of sailing terms is included). In spite of the occasional cell phone interruption (the child, facedown on the rug, laments, “We are in the doldrums” when the adult takes a call), all is put right when the adult gets back into the spirit of things, fielding an attack against a giant squid (aka the vacuum cleaner). Rescues, distress signals, hungry sharks—it all adds up to a wonderful time. That rug is never getting vacuumed. Blackall slips with ease between fantasy and reality, and young readers will have oodles of fun watching as socks morph into seagulls and paper towel tubes become telescopes. It’s also nice to see a book where the notion of turning off your cell phone is aimed more directly at the parents than the kids. All characters are light-skinned.
Avast, me mateys! This be good clean fun on the salty seas. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9780593429396
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Anne Schwartz/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2024
Share your opinion of this book
More by Ann E. Burg
BOOK REVIEW
by Ann E. Burg ; illustrated by Sophie Blackall
BOOK REVIEW
by Sophie Blackall ; illustrated by Sophie Blackall
BOOK REVIEW
by Sophie Blackall ; illustrated by Sophie Blackall
by Margaret Read MacDonald ; illustrated by Rob McClurkan ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2018
A brassy, assertive fellow—young readers in the middle of their own power struggles will relate.
A tugboat’s size and might are easy to anthropomorphize; add this personified puffer to the mix.
Tough Tug is built near Seattle, made of strong steel welded together and adorned with a fresh coat of bright red paint. Wide googly eyes and a determined smile complete the look. On launch day, Tough Tug triumphantly flashes forward and backward, twirling and swirling through the water. Older tugboats (distinguished variously by mustaches, glasses, and eye patches) grumble at the youngster’s bravado. “Push and pull is what tugs do. Practice THAT.” Tough Tug’s first job is to tow a barge to Alaska. Rhythmic mantras churn across the surface of the water in bold navy letters: “Ready, steady. / Steady, ready. // Chug and tug. / Tug and chug.” But Tough Tug is overeager and challenges Arctic Tug to a race. The thrum changes to “Race and run! / Run and race!” Arctic Tug is first to Sitka, but while crossing the open ocean to Anchorage, the older tug gets into trouble. It’s Tough Tug to the rescue! McClurkan’s digital paintings look quite modern, but there is a feel to his foamy waves that recalls the mid-20th-century harbor of Little Toot. The anthropomorphized boats have plenty of personality, and readers who study the expressions on the container ships will be rewarded. An author’s note explains this was inspired by a true story of one tug rescuing another boat from a competing tugboat company.
A brassy, assertive fellow—young readers in the middle of their own power struggles will relate. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5039-5098-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Two Lions
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2018
Share your opinion of this book
More by Margaret Read MacDonald
BOOK REVIEW
by Margaret Read MacDonald & Gerald Fierst ; illustrated by Kitty Harvill
BOOK REVIEW
by Margaret Read MacDonald with Jen Whitman & Nat Whitman ; illustrated by Kitty Harvill
BOOK REVIEW
retold by Margaret Read MacDonald ; illustrated by Derek Sullivan
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.