Another captivating mix of eccentric visuals and gentle messages of unity by an author/illustrator who dances to her own...
Music of an unexpected kind becomes the bridge to a new friendship in this picture book.
On top of Spike Mountain’s “squiggle rocks,” Red Song Thrusters produce toots, chirps, and hums across the “grass-tail fields” and the “berry-bush flats.” Far below, unaware of each other, reside two lonely creatures: Piper lives on the grassy side, telling wistful stories to “tail-seed dolls” she makes. Hubert, on the flatland side, eats berries and holds one-way conversations with goggle-eyed “Shroom” plants. Piper and Hubert find comfort in the Thrusters’ daytime concerts, but surely the low “honk, whoop” serenade in the evening means that “something is not right.” What can it be? Or are the Thrusters trying to send a different musical message? In her newest book for early readers, author/illustrator Helms (The Polygonsters, 2017, etc.) has again created a gently whimsical world where strange creatures are the conduit for expressions of friendship. Rendered on white pages in colored pencil and pen-and-ink, Helms’ flights of fancy include three-legged Piper, a catlike mix of geometric shapes with wheels for feet; speckled Hubert, with a “berry-snarfing” snout, long neck, and tubular extremities; and the vaguely birdlike Thrusters, who sing through protrusions resembling flattened trumpets. The characters, though rough-hewn and random, are relatable, and the vocabulary is entertaining and smart. The large black text, well-spaced on the page with some boxes and dialogue balloons, offers comfortable readability.
Another captivating mix of eccentric visuals and gentle messages of unity by an author/illustrator who dances to her own quirky tune.Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-9963397-4-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Set Free Publishing
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The seemingly ageless Seeger brings back his renowned giant for another go in a tuneful tale that, like the art, is a bit sketchy, but chockful of worthy messages. Faced with yearly floods and droughts since they’ve cut down all their trees, the townsfolk decide to build a dam—but the project is stymied by a boulder that is too huge to move. Call on Abiyoyo, suggests the granddaughter of the man with the magic wand, then just “Zoop Zoop” him away again. But the rock that Abiyoyo obligingly flings aside smashes the wand. How to avoid Abiyoyo’s destruction now? Sing the monster to sleep, then make it a peaceful, tree-planting member of the community, of course. Seeger sums it up in a postscript: “every community must learn to manage its giants.” Hays, who illustrated the original (1986), creates colorful, if unfinished-looking, scenes featuring a notably multicultural human cast and a towering Cubist fantasy of a giant. The song, based on a Xhosa lullaby, still has that hard-to-resist sing-along potential, and the themes of waging peace, collective action, and the benefits of sound ecological practices are presented in ways that children will both appreciate and enjoy. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83271-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001
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