An easy illustrated novel in the Chapters series. Stanley Pig makes 26 flavors of ice cream and a mean banana split. Everybody stops at his stand on the road into town, until a new highway reroutes all the traffic, leaving Stanley in the dust. Enter Zelmo, a green pig from Mars, whose flying saucer crashes on top of Stanley's stand. This apparent disaster sets off a chain of events that puts Stanley's business back in order. Siracusa (The Giant Zucchini, 1993, not reviewed, etc.) provides plenty of action and Martian-speak to tickle the funny bones of six-year-olds. Text and humorous illustrations share space equally, making this the perfect next-step for those who have soloed on I Can Reads and other easy readers. (Fiction. 6-8)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-7868-0040-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1995
Rich in alliteration and internal rhyme, Dunn's debut makes a surefire read-aloud for cumulative tale lovers. Balancing a luscious-looking cherry pie on his head, King Bing is off to pop the question to Queen Bea. Along the way he meets a cow, ants, a dog, a chick, and a fly, all of whom eye that pie and try various stratagems to get King Bing to bend over and lose the pie. Using bright, opaque colors, Santoro (Bears Are Curious, not reviewed, etc.) trails pop-eyed, solid- and hungry-looking animals behind the cheery, ski-nosed king, rewarding their close attendance at last when the king does bow and the pie splatters juicily over two pages. Yum. As the animals gather around, Bing and Bea come to an understanding (“You cook and I'll eat,” she proposes, “And we'll live happily after”) and stroll off toward the kitchen together. Diet-killing recipe included. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: May 31, 2000
ISBN: 0-06-028807-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
Poster puppy for cluelessness, a small dog with a white patch on one eye wakes up one morning dismayed to discover his name, collar, and entire life misplaced. Off he charges on a true journey of self-discovery. Though a series of canine acquaintances cumulatively fill in some of the gaps—“ ‘You are a small brown dog with a pink nose who likes splashing in puddles’ ”—his name remains a mystery. Aside from frequent appearances by a tiny blue mouse, it's a dog’s world in Nascimbeni’s (What If?, 1999, etc.) loopy, spacious cartoons, composed along canted planes using just a few vigorously brushed colors and the occasional bit of patterned material or newsprint. With each encounter, Small Brown Dog fills out as a character for readers as well as himself, and by the time he’s tracked down both collar and name (“ ‘Patch!’ ”), he will seem as familiar as any real pet. He’s not the only forgetful character in a children’s book, but he is the most engagingly doggy one, and his plight may make children—not to mention parents—feel better about their own “senior moments.” (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: June 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-525-46397-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2000
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