The echoes of other versions of this tale gain all the invigorating impact of an original in Barton's capable hands. A wee little woman's wee little cat drinks out of the wee little milk pail and is chased away, returning after a "wee long time" to a tearful reunion and her own wee little bowl. As in his previous books (The Little Red Hen, 1993, etc.), Barton's brightly colored, hypersimple illustrations convey mood and action in ways comprehensible even to wee little viewers; instead of the "gotcha" ending found in tales about teeny tiny women or dark, dark rooms, the repetitive text and sweet ending have a soothing effect. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: May 30, 1995
ISBN: 0-06-023387-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1995
Rejoice, gleeful mealtime fussbudgets: Too Purpley! (2010) has a sibling, and it’s called Too Pickley! This round-headed boy rejects all offered foods. A rodent companion follows him through Reidy’s pithy, energetic text, which scans and rhymes so exuberantly that it feels joyful even though it’s about revulsion. “Too wrinkly, too squishy, / too fruity, / too fishy! / Too slimy, too slurpy, / too bubbly, / too burpy!” Readers must project their own knowledge of varying textures, because Leloup’s brightly colored, flattish digital shapes don’t really convey the wrinkleyness of raisins or the sliminess of snails. But the portrayals of this boy mummified in spaghetti (“too stringy”), holding a square forkful of still-frozen peas (“too freezy”) and squinting underneath the dripping raincloud formed by the “too fizzy” seltzer explosion carry the conceptual humor. The ending’s gustatory triumph may frustrate—it’s unclear what he finally declares “So yummy!” because he’s “All done” by the time readers see it—but the verse is so satisfying that young listeners will recite along and demand seconds. Tuck in! (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: July 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59990-309-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
With a repetitive rhyme, Morley introduces the sounds of animals in an imaginative look at a farmyard. The cat goes ``fiddle-i-fee,'' the hen goes ``chimmy-chuck,'' the cow goes ``moo, moo,'' etc. Most of the creatures look as if they've been plucked right out of a Grandma Moses painting and laid down on plain brown wrapping paper, while the people and cats have the long thin look of fashion illustrations of the `20s and `30s. All wind around and through snipped and spindly flowers and trees while the various animals raise their voices in a cacophonous expression of farmyard life. Toddlers will love joining in the melange with their own resounding ``fiddle-i-fees!'' (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: March 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-671-89551-6
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1995
BOOK REVIEW
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