Frothy fun.
A sled race spirals out of control.
It’s race day for a trio of Ice Age sledders, and while competition between Wolf and Otto the great auk heats up an otherwise-frigid morning, Wally Mammoth is just happy to have been invited. Clad in a fuzzy pink turtleneck and giddy with gladness to slalom with pals, the contented Wally truly believes it’s not about who wins or loses. The threesome take off as the referee waves a green flag. But competitive ambitions soon prove ruinous as unwieldy speed sends Wolf and Otto swerving. In the crash’s slapstick fallout, the two are swallowed by a steadily speeding, ever-growing snowball. Wally’s now in the lead, and as Otto and Wolf tumble down the hill, they pepper their friend with requests to share the victory spoils (“If you win, can I hold the trophy?” “If you win, can I have a cupcake?”). The snowball gains momentum, closing in until the pachyderm, too, is enveloped with a “SHOOOP.” All three friends roll over the finish line together, tying for gold and learning a valuable lesson about pride along the way. Tabor’s text is accessible for new readers—deftly balancing narrative tension with requisite simplicity—and Wally proves a root-for-able foil to the other two competitive compatriots. Webb’s art appealingly complements the silliness of the trio’s plight, rendering characters with a delightful cartoonish expressiveness.
Frothy fun. (Early reader. 5-7)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9780063434912
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
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Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind.
The cool beans again step up to do a timorous fellow legume a fava…this time at the pool.
Will a rash decision to tackle the multistory super-slide lead to another embarrassing watery fail for our shy protagonist? Nope, for up the stairs right behind comes a trio of cool beans, each a different type and color, all clad in nothing but dark shades. They make an offer: “It’s not as scary if you go with friends!” As the knobby nerd explains once the thrilling ride down is done, “They all realized that I just needed some encouragement and support.” Just to make sure that both cool and uncool readers get the message, the narrator lets us know that “there are plenty of kind folks who have my back. They’re always there when I need them.” The beany bonhomie doesn’t end at the bottom of the slide, with all gliding down to the shallow end of the pool (“3 INCHES. NO DIVING”) for a splashy finale. This latest early reader starring characters from John and Oswald’s immensely popular Food Group series will be a hit with fans. Fun accessories, such as a bean who rocks pink cat-eye frames, add some pizzazz to the chromatically and somatotypically varied cast.
Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind. (Easy reader. 5-7)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9780063329560
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
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