Altogether a useful and attractive story with an often needed lesson.
Harrison P. Spader, a pale-green hippopotamus, has personal-space issues.
Harrison has a very poor sense of just how close he should come to all of his friends, among them, a dog, a rabbit, a bear, and a moose. Lively illustrations and a couple of sentences of text per page neatly summarize his issues; he doesn’t just sit too close, but also hugs too much, high-fives too hard, and shakes hands too long. Facial expressions clearly depict his victims’ dismay and his innocent, exuberant misapprehension. His parents finally provide him with some tips for determining how close he ought to stand to his friends (although they don’t ever address his other problems, such as the high-fiving and hand shaking). Although didactic by intention, this effort is easy to digest. Atkinson’s illustrations display just enough hyperbole to be funny, and Jones’ text captures Harrison’s common-enough problem without mocking his youthful enthusiasm for personal contact. The solution Harrison’s father offers, “the Space Saver,” involves Harrison’s defining that nebulous concept of appropriate space by standing “Arms out front then out real wide.” Although this movement does create a socially acceptable space, it could get little children into a bit of trouble if an area is too crowded (just as Harrison discovers).
Altogether a useful and attractive story with an often needed lesson. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5158-2723-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Picture Window Books
Review Posted Online: May 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.
A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.
He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts. When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
WOO-HOO! This is the perfect way to foster healthy self-esteem in little ones.
What’s better than a cheerleading chicken?
Are you ever blue, unsure, tired, or overworked? Do you ever feel lost or overwhelmed? This uplifting book, expressed in delightful, jaunty verse, explains how to lift your spirits pronto: What you need is a booster chicken telling you’re doing great even when you’re not so confident, as when you’re learning or practicing a new skill, for instance. Your feathered champion will be right there, encouraging you all the way, with a loud “WOO HOO!” that’ll keep you going and remove any doubt you’re super terrific. But what if your cheerful chick errs and doesn’t do what it set out to do? Don’t worry—your cheery chicken just needs a reminder that everyone makes mistakes. That alone is a pep talk, enhanced by the wisdom that making mistakes allows everyone to learn and demonstrate they did their best. So forgive yourself, chickens! But the best thing is…instead of relying on someone else—like a chicken—to strengthen your ego, say a generous daily “WOO HOO!” to yourself. This riotous book hits all the right notes and does so succinctly and hilariously. The energetic, comical illustrations, in Boynton’s signature style, will elicit giggles and go far to make the book’s important point. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
WOO-HOO! This is the perfect way to foster healthy self-esteem in little ones. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-316-48679-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023
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