Anodyne at best. (Picture book. 3-7)
Marlon Bundo, a black-and-white rabbit, helps out Grampa—the vice president—on what is represented as a typical day.
From “freshly brewed coffee” delivered by the Naval Enlisted Aides to “one little prayer before bed,” Marlon Bundo narrates the day’s events. In the West Wing, Grampa and Marlon start off with “the most important meeting…. / That’s the one with the president!” Then they head to the Capitol, “where Grampa presides over a vote.” (Which tie-breaking vote is not mentioned, so readers can imagine whether it’s confirming Betsy DeVos, gutting the Affordable Care Act, or some future controversy.) They then meet with “people from across America” with “questions and problems. / And Grampa helps answer each one.” Then it’s back to the Naval Observatory for a quick squint through its telescope, a phone call from “the president!” and a quiet reading of the Bible. Karen Pence is a competent watercolorist, creating double-page spreads that depict Marlon Bundo hopping through clearly recognizable, famous scenes. Save a white Secret Service agent who’s shown opening Grampa’s limo door, humans are depicted mostly as feet or hands, none of them of color. Charlotte Pence’s verse is frankly execrable, torturing syntax and introducing nonsensical detail in order to maintain rhyme and meter. Additional information is offered in three pages of notes misleadingly labeled “resources.” Proceeds go to A21 and Tracy's Kids.
Anodyne at best. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 19, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-62157-776-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Regnery Kids
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Animated and educational.
A hare and a ground squirrel banter about the differences between related animals that are often confused for one another.
Jack is “no Flopsy, Mopsy, or Cottontail,” but a “H-A-R-E, hare!” Like sheep and goats, or turtles and tortoises, rabbits and hares may look similar, but hares are bigger, their fur changes color in the winter, and they are born with their eyes wide open. As the ground squirrel (not to be mistaken for a chipmunk (even though Jack cheekily calls it “Chippie”) and Jack engage in playful discussion about animals, a sneaky coyote prowls after them through the Sonoran Desert. This picture book conveys the full narrative in spirited, speech-bubbled dialogue set on expressive illustrations of talking animals. Dark outlines around the characters make their shapes pop against the softly blended colors of the desert backgrounds. Snappy back-and-forth paired with repetition and occasional rhyme enhances the story’s appeal as a read-aloud. As the story progresses, the colors of the sky shift from dawn to dusk, providing subtle, visual bookends for the narrative. One page of backmatter offers a quick guide to eight easily confused pairs, and a second turns a subsequent exploration of the book into a seek-and-find of 15 creatures (and one dessert) hidden in the desert. Unfortunately, while most of the creatures from the seek-and-find appear in poses that match the illustrations in the challenge, not all of them are consistently represented. (This book was reviewed digitally with 7-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 53.3% of actual size.)
Animated and educational. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-358-12506-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An ideal introduction to this familiar waterfowl—readers will enjoy diving right in.
Mallard ducks catch the attention of an observant young narrator. Join in on her day’s travels to learn a lot about these quacking creatures.
Quacks appear in graduated type from large to small to begin this informational gem. The daily activities of a young girl propel the easy-flowing language full of ducky details. Perfectly placed additional facts in smaller and similar-in-tone text are included on each spread. These seamless complements serve to explain unfamiliar terms such as “preening,” “dabbling” and “upending.” While Davies’ text gently informs, Rubbino’s mixed-media illustrations, done in a subdued palette of watery greens, grays and browns, truly impress. Mama ducks, drakes and ducklings alike hold the focus as they nest, search for food, swim, splash and sleep. The loose and childlike pictures capture essential details: the “secret patch of blue on each wing” and the “cute little curl on their tails.” At the end of the day (and book), readers find “The bridge is quiet, and there’s just the sound of rushing water and the stillness of the night.” But the page turn reveals another morning of “ducks—just ducks, down on the river that flows through the town.”
An ideal introduction to this familiar waterfowl—readers will enjoy diving right in. (index, note) (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7636-5936-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Feb. 4, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2012
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