Booger Boy, as the neighbors not-so-affectionately call him, is unable to stop his horrible habit. Richard even creates elaborate snot-nosed dioramas with his strands of green glop. His nasty nose-picking fascination turns disastrous, though, when his finger permanently sticks up his nose and the rest of his body follows suit. The child-turned–giant-blob-of-mucus rolls through the town, collecting objects, pets and even a baby in his uncontrolled slime and attracting an angry mob. A nearby shop's spicy aroma produces a welcome sneeze, spewing out the drenched youngster and resulting in a yucky comeuppance for the harpoon-carrying locals. Though uninspired, the rhyming text clearly bounces along. “He looked like a booger, / a big gloopy blob, / an ooey, gluey goobery glob.” Bright acrylic-and–colored-pencil spreads frame stocky cartoon sketches; round, googly eyes dominate each face. Saturated in disgusting descriptions, this vile offering pointedly targets boys of a certain age, and the gross-out humor will surely elicit plenty of eews along the way. Mission accomplished. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-55469-088-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: Dec. 27, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A favorite Frost poem reveals how serendipitous choice affects a lifetime.
Robert Frost’s familiar 1915 poem presents enigmatic choices for an elementary-age boy.
A red-haired elementary-age boy trekking through golden woods with a beagle comes to a place where “two roads diverged.” Wishing he could “travel both,” the boy studies one road and then chooses the less-worn path, opting to keep the other road for “another day,” knowing he’s unlikely to “ever come back” and taking the road “less traveled by” could “make all the difference.” Richly hued illustrations in a palette of yellows and blues rely on simple rounded shapes, flat patterns, varying perspectives, and single- and double-page spreads to provide a possible context for Frost’s spare verse. Dwarfed by stylized trees resembling giant yellow toadstools, the boy begins his journey wearing a striped hoodie, blue backpack, jeans, and red boots. An impressive treetop view shows boy and beagle confronting the diverging path, emphasizing the magnitude of choice. The boy picks up fallen leaves, ponders two unknown roads, selects a leaf for his backpack, and proceeds along his chosen path. As he journeys, scenes from his ensuing life unfold, carrying him from childhood to becoming a young man with a family and eventually an elderly man, still musing about the choice he made in the woods that indeed changed everything. Inexplicably, his hair darkens from red to brown with a single page turn, which is likely to befuddle more than one reader.
A favorite Frost poem reveals how serendipitous choice affects a lifetime. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-64170-107-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Familius
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Great storytelling braided with lively color and a culturally affirming accent makes this book a real standout.
In this modern reweaving of “Little Red Riding Hood” set on a modern, fanciful African savanna, readers meet a young, black Little Red who gracefully outwits the more-hungry-than-horrifying Lion.
The Lion imagines his “very-clever-plan” to sneak off to a spots-afflicted Auntie Rosie’s house to solve his grumbling tummy, just in time for Little Red to arrive. But of course, the perceptive Little Red instantly notices that the muumuu-clad Lion is not her Auntie Rosie. She forms her own plan to teach the naughty Lion a lesson. She heads first for the Lion’s unkempt mane with brush and comb, magically transforming it into a “lovely new look,” complete with pink bow-tie barrettes. Those pink bow ties inspire Little Red to find a much prettier dress for him to wear than the muumuu. The annoyed, fed-up Lion bellows his hunger only to be confronted with Little Red’s wagging finger as she explains in quick, calming, decisive fashion, “Well, trying to eat children and aunties is VERY naughty. If you were hungry, all you had to do was ask for some food.” They reconcile their relationship swiftly with a box of doughnuts as the tale comes to a close. Wonderful, jazzy illustrations feature brilliant oranges, yellows, and pinks underscored by vivid, playful language to add to the intrigue. Little Red is a mite with a red dress and two spectacular pigtails.
Great storytelling braided with lively color and a culturally affirming accent makes this book a real standout. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 26, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-91438-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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