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STUNT CAT ACROSS AMERICA

Name: STUNT CAT ACROSS AMERICA
Author: Constance Lombardo
ISBN: 978-0-06-232068-1

From the Mr. Puffball series , Vol. 2

by Constance Lombardo ; illustrated by Constance Lombardo ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 27, 2016

Not a total hairball, but far from a first purr-chase.

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Mr. Puffball’s done with being a stunt cat…what’s next for him?

Mr. Puffball came to Hollywood in Stunt Cat to the Stars (2015) to be like his idol, El Gato, and ended up being El Gato’s stunt cat. Now he’s tired of being set on fire and nearly breaking every bone in his body, so he and El Gato have decided to make a buddy picture—they just have to sell it to the suits. Ever unreliable, El Gato leaves Mr. Puffball to pitch their idea, Mac & Cheesy’s Excellent Adventure, alone. It doesn’t matter; the suits like the idea of a buddy pic—but they want Jude Claw and Benedict Cumbercat to star instead of our heroes. The duo has one chance: to make a buddy picture demo reel that is better than Claw and Cumbercat’s. Good thing they have their Hollywood friends to help them out. They embark on a cross-country trek, joining Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas, bungee jumping at the Hoover Dam, and leaping over the Grand Canyon (kind of), among other stunts…but someone seems to be sabotaging their efforts. As in the series opener, Lombardo’s second effort is full of spot comics and illustrations, but in this outing, most if not all of the jokes should be accessible to the target audience. That said, the cat puns and slapstick are not as funny as they want to be, and there are few surprises (or laughs). (Final art and aftermatter not seen.)

Not a total hairball, but far from a first purr-chase. (Graphic/fantasy hybrid. 7-11)

Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-232068-1

Page Count: 208

Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS

- BOOK REVIEW
TINY SPOON VS. LITTLE FORK
by Constance Lombardo ; illustrated by Dan Abdo & Jason Patterson

- BOOK REVIEW
EVERYBODY SAYS MEOW
by Constance Lombardo ; illustrated by Constance Lombardo

- BOOK REVIEW
STUNT CAT TO THE STARS
by Constance Lombardo ; illustrated by Constance Lombardo

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CODY HARMON, KING OF PETS

From the Franklin School Friends series

by Claudia Mills ; illustrated by Rob Shepperson ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 14, 2016

Another winner from Mills, equally well suited to reading aloud and independent reading.

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When Franklin School principal Mr. Boone announces a pet-show fundraiser, white third-grader Cody—whose lack of skill and interest in academics is matched by keen enthusiasm for and knowledge of animals—discovers his time to shine.

As with other books in this series, the children and adults are believable and well-rounded. Even the dialogue is natural—no small feat for a text easily accessible to intermediate readers. Character growth occurs, organically and believably. Students occasionally, humorously, show annoyance with teachers: “He made mad squinty eyes at Mrs. Molina, which fortunately she didn’t see.” Readers will be kept entertained by Cody’s various problems and the eventual solutions. His problems include needing to raise $10 to enter one of his nine pets in the show (he really wants to enter all of them), his troublesome dog Angus—“a dog who ate homework—actually, who ate everything and then threw up afterward”—struggles with homework, and grappling with his best friend’s apparently uncaring behavior toward a squirrel. Serious values and issues are explored with a light touch. The cheery pencil illustrations show the school’s racially diverse population as well as the memorable image of Mr. Boone wearing an elephant costume. A minor oddity: why does a child so immersed in animal facts call his male chicken a rooster but his female chickens chickens?

Another winner from Mills, equally well suited to reading aloud and independent reading. (Fiction. 7-10)

Pub Date: June 14, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-374-30223-8

Page Count: 144

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Review Posted Online: March 15, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
THE LOST LANGUAGE
by Claudia Mills

- BOOK REVIEW
BOOGIE BASS, SIGN LANGUAGE STAR
by Claudia Mills ; illustrated by Grace Zong

- BOOK REVIEW
LUCY LOPEZ, CODING STAR
by Claudia Mills ; illustrated by Grace Zong

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ACOUSTIC ROOSTER AND HIS BARNYARD BAND

by Kwame Alexander & illustrated by Tim Bowers ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2011

Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look...

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Winning actually isn’t everything, as jazz-happy Rooster learns when he goes up against the legendary likes of Mules Davis and Ella Finchgerald at the barnyard talent show.

Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look good—particularly after his “ ‘Hen from Ipanema’ [makes] / the barnyard chickies swoon.”—but in the end the competition is just too stiff. No matter: A compliment from cool Mules and the conviction that he still has the world’s best band soon puts the strut back in his stride. Alexander’s versifying isn’t always in tune (“So, he went to see his cousin, / a pianist of great fame…”), and despite his moniker Rooster plays an electric bass in Bower’s canted country scenes. Children are unlikely to get most of the jokes liberally sprinkled through the text, of course, so the adults sharing it with them should be ready to consult the backmatter, which consists of closing notes on jazz’s instruments, history and best-known musicians.