Though far from startlingly original, it’s good for a giggle or two.
All the other animals make very distinct sounds. What about rabbits?
In the still of the night, the meadow fills with rabbits, who nibble peacefully for hours. As the sun comes up, the farm rings out with noises. The rooster trumpets out a “Cock-a-doodle-do,” the horse neighs, the dog woofs, and so on. This causes a young bunny named Raggety-Taggle to wonder just what noise a rabbit makes. He tries thump-thumping with his foot, but this just attracts a predatory cat that nearly catches him. The chase wakes up the dog, who pursues the cat; it also stirs up the cows, the sheep, the horses, the pigs, the rooster and the farmer on his tractor. When the farmer blows his horn, all the animals stop short, tumbling into an awkward pile. All, that is, except Raggety-Taggle, who quietly runs all the way home. Later that night, as the sun goes down, the rabbits again fill the meadow, and Raggety-Taggle wonders “just why anybody would ever want to make a noise at all.” The treatment of animals and their sounds is entirely predictable (if spelled with a British accent—the cat says, “Miaow!”), but it’s leavened with the sly lesson about the value of being quiet. Byrne’s colors are bold, and his animals, drawn with an appealing simplicity, are apt for preschoolers.
Though far from startlingly original, it’s good for a giggle or two. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4677-2032-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Andersen Press USA
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Sure to get toddlers and early readers dancing.
Sedaka rewrites "Calendar Girl" for the Stone Age set.
Neil's son, Marc, reworks the lyrics of his father’s famous song. Endpapers show a happy little boy sliding down a dinosaur's tail, and the title page depicts him lugging a big purple egg down the street as a puzzled pooch looks on. "I love, I love, I love / my dinosaur pet," the text begins, offering 13 additional bright two-page pictures (one for each month and a bonus). In January, the egg hatches: "[H]e's breaking out of his shell." Then February: "His body's starting to swell." (He's bright green with purple stripes.) And so it goes through the year, with the dinosaur growing bigger and bigger. In April, "when he sleeps with me / he crushes the bed." In July, "like the fireworks, / he touches the sky." September, "just the tail alone is / thirty feet long." And December, "come the new year, things are / gonna get rough." The final picture has the little boy seated at a piano, which the dinosaur is large enough to wrap all the way around, head and tail crossing. The dinosaur, the illustrations and the book itself are all appropriately big, and it's hard to beat the catchiness of the tune. The accompanying CD features this track for children and two more, all performed by Neil Sedaka.
Sure to get toddlers and early readers dancing. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-936140-36-7
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Imagine Publishing
Review Posted Online: Feb. 14, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2012
It all starts with a flea. When it lands on a scruffy dog, it initiates a series of encounters that lead to mad adventures. The flea bite causes the dog to jump wildly and land on a man. They both go flying into a mud hole and get caught in a rainstorm. When they get the remedy to stop the itch, the flea jumps to a cat and the next round of mayhem ensues. Told almost entirely in a simple aabb rhyme scheme, the book adds interest and enthusiasm via onomatopoeia and mild expletives executed in large, bold upper-case letters. They “Squish-squash” in the mud, and the dog’s tail goes “whump-whump” as the man cries “gadzooks” and “egads.” Although rhyming “flea” with “immediately” is more than tortuous, most of the rhymes are of the one-syllable variety and are nicely accessible for young readers. Lester’s computer-enhanced pencil-and-watercolor cartoons are highly exaggerated and filled with movement. Readers’ eyes will be drawn to the immediate action, but there are also lots of details they might notice on a second perusal. A puzzled rabbit sits in the grass, a couple of birds laugh hysterically at the muddy twosome and a snail and frog also watch the antics. Clever fun and lots of giggles. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: April 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-399-25004-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
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