by Caroline Crowe ; illustrated by Tim Knight ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2015
Few will be calmed by this raucous crew’s capers, but at least they’ll see that sometimes bedtime can be an adventure all...
A familiar bedtime routine gets a pirate-themed makeover.
Think pirate PJs would just be of the black-and-white-striped variety? Think again! Pirates, it seems, enjoy pajamas with pom-poms, frilly sleeves, and even footies. On board the Leaky Parrot, Capt. Redbeard leads his crew through the bedtime motions. In a refreshing twist, the pirates found here aren’t avoiding going to bed in the least. They are, however, milking every second of the preparation process. From sculpting their hair into shark fins in the bath to dance parties and pillow fights, these buccaneers know how to put the yo-ho-hos into their nighty-nights. While the book reads more like a pirate sleepover party than the usual bedtime routine (though oral hygiene is recognized in the cover image, no teeth get brushed in the narrative), kids will nevertheless come away from the story hankering for a pirate-themed bedtime of their own. Knight’s visuals are bold and bright, and the cartoony images studiously avoid the viewing of the occasional accidental mooning (though they do make a Simon and Garfunkel reference for the benefit of adult readers). The sheer variety of pajama types helps keep the story young and fun.
Few will be calmed by this raucous crew’s capers, but at least they’ll see that sometimes bedtime can be an adventure all its own. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-58925-190-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: June 9, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
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by Pam Calvert ; illustrated by Jennifer Taylor ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 5, 2019
An innocuous telling, sure to slip in effortlessly with other firetruck books.
A little fire engine discovers what it’s good at by eliminating what it is not.
Who knew disappointment could be such a keen teaching tool? Narrator Flash is eager to demonstrate firefighting prowess, but every attempt to “save the day” yields bubkes. First Flash is too little to handle a fire at the airport (Crash, an airport crash tender, handles that one). Next Flash is too short to help a tall building that’s on fire (that honor goes to Laddie, a turntable ladder). Finally, an airplane and a foam tender together solve a forest-fire problem. Only when a bridge is suddenly blocked by snow, with all the other trucks on the wrong side of it, does Flash have the opportunity to save a pet shelter that’s ablaze. (Readers will note characters in shirtsleeves at the beginning of the book, so this is a very unexpected snowstorm.) Calvert deftly finds a new way to introduce kids to different kinds of firefighting vehicles by setting up Flash in opposition to situations where it’s just not the best truck for the job. The anthropomorphized engines and planes irritatingly include unnecessary eyelashes on trucks with feminine pronouns, but this is mitigated by the fact that the girls get cool names like “Crash” and save the day first. Enthusiastic if unremarkable digital art presents both firefighters and citizens in an array of genders and races.
An innocuous telling, sure to slip in effortlessly with other firetruck books. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5420-4178-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Two Lions
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2019
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by Valeri Gorbachev ; illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 15, 2016
Pizza, snow, and a talking pig: a recipe for storytime fun.
An intrepid pig named Pinky goes off to fetch a pizza during a snowstorm in this silly home-away-home tale.
Pinky is so focused on remembering the toppings his mother requested—“Mushrooms, mozzarella cheese, / Fresh tomatoes, onions, peas”—that he doesn’t realize that he’s been covered in snow after an altercation with the pesky Squirrel boys. He continues to walk through town, covered in snow from head to toe, with only his snout, eyes, and feet visible. Everyone stops and wonders at the walking snowman, but Pinky doesn’t realized they’re gaping at him. Once inside to order the pizza, the cook recognizes him by his snout, and then the snow melts away. On his way home with the pizza, Mr. Mutt tells him about the walking snowman, “and after their delicious lunch, Pinky and Mommy took a stroll into town. They wanted to see the walking snowman too!” Readers who are in on the joke will find humor in this conclusion and in the story as a whole, with its fully realized watercolor, gouache, and ink depictions of a small town populated by anthropomorphic animals.
Pizza, snow, and a talking pig: a recipe for storytime fun. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3654-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
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