A charming ode for beginning young bards.
A poem defined in poetry.
A group of woodland creatures crowds around a book asking a question that many wonder: “What’s a poem?” One rabbit’s answer, that “a poem can be anything,” doesn’t add much clarity. A bewildered bear asks, “What? / What can a poem be?” Each animal offers possibilities. Wise owl believes that “a poem is a whisper. / Whooooooo.” But a playful wolf thinks the opposite: “A poem is a shout. / Hoooowllllllll.” A prickly hedgehog explains (as it performs a swan dive that ends with it curled into a ball), “A poem is a thought … / … turned inside out.” The smooth sway of each animal’s answer lets readers begin to feel what poetry is. The musical language dips and crescendos. A tiny spider offers, “A poem is a spiderweb / spun with words of wonder… / … like woven lace held in place / by whispers made of thunder.” With backgrounds rendered in a palette dominated by greens and yellows of the daytime, then modulating to the deep blues of the forest night, Hyde’s stylized, stuffed-toy–like depictions of the animals add whimsy to their deep thoughts. Poetry is not easily defined, but it echoes long after it’s been read: “Follow it and trust your way / with mind and heart as one. / And when the journey’s over, / you’ll find you’ve just begun.”
A charming ode for beginning young bards. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: May 28, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7643-6108-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Schiffer
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Pearson is a slug intimate, having previously charted the course of two Slugs in Love (illustrated by Kevin O'Malley, 2006), so who better to explain, exactly, the best way to teach a slug to read? It is really quite elementary, starting with opening the book (make sure it has slug characters), read it to the slug, point out repeating words, help sound them out, get a vocabulary list going, underline favorite words and, you bet, “[r]ead your slug’s favorite poems to him as many times as he wants. Read him other books too!” This slug’s favorite is Mother Slug’s book of poetry, with such old gems as “Mary had a little slug, / His skin was smooth as silk” and “Whatever can the matter be? / Sally Slug has climbed a tree” and “Sweet Sammy Slug / Slides through the town.” Slonim’s upbeat illustrations give readers a sense that they are there with the slugs, flipping the pages, while the interjections from the slugs—“Sl-uh-uh-g! Hey, I can read SLUG!”—convey, with a light hand, the joys of reading. And though it isn’t cricket to diminish a slug’s capabilities, readers can’t help but feel that if a slug is up to the task, well then, maybe someone else in the room is, too. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7614-5805-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2011
Fun, silly stuffalo.
What will happen when a surly buffalo has his cover blown?
The book opens on a peaceful, sunny landscape dotted by trees, flowers, and a river. Turning the page, readers meet the Buffalo Fluffalo. The cantankerous creature glares fiercely at readers, his stylized, curly coat puffed out above small bovine feet. A ram, a prairie dog, and a crow each approach the Buffalo Fluffalo with overtures of friendship, but all receive—ahem—a “rebuffalo.” He responds to each with a gruff “I’m the Buffalo Fluffalo—/ I heave and I huffalo./ Leave me alone because/ I’ve had enuffalo!”—a refrain rendered in a large bold text. But after a torrential downpour, the Buffalo Fluffalo is drenched; his fluffy coat plastered to his body, he’s now a fraction of his former size. How will the other animals react? The rhythmic, rhyming verses take plenty of liberties with language and use lots of alliteration, resulting in a humorous read. Despite his aggressive stance, our protagonist is endearingly cross-eyed, and the art exploits the comedic potential of a character who hides behind a puffed-up appearance. Some may wonder why the other animals are working so hard to befriend such a relentlessly hostile character, but all the nonsense words and the complementary art are so appealing that readers will easily accept the sugary ending.
Fun, silly stuffalo. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2024
ISBN: 9780593564530
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House Studio
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
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