A cousin to Eric Hill’s Spot series, derailed by a problematic end.
Drollery for the diapered set: Distinctly out-of-place creatures lurk beneath glued-in flaps.
Aiming for toddler audiences, Shuttlewood crafts very simple screen-print–style scenes with bemused, popeyed animals. On each spread, a single large flap imperfectly conceals an interloper—from a penguin in the titular tree to an octopus in a jungle setting, an elephant floating behind a cloud and a lion on an ice floe. Along with visual clues, the author adds a rhymed text with broad hints: “In ice and snow / who does not GO, / with mane so thick / and roar so LOW?” It’s all good fun, until a final gathering in a zoo finds the errant creatures disturbingly proclaiming: “WHO’S in this zoo / and just won’t do? / NOT US! / The odd one out is… / YOU!” Although the pig looks out at readers and encourages them to “join our crew,” this may well catch readers off guard. This is followed by a closing gallery with clear labels that make the accompanying “Did you guess the names of all the animals?” not much of a challenge.
A cousin to Eric Hill’s Spot series, derailed by a problematic end. (Picture book. 1-3)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4549-1193-7
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: Feb. 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2014
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character.
One of Boynton's signature characters celebrates Halloween.
It's Halloween time, and Pookie the pig is delighted. Mom helps the little porker pick out the perfect Halloween costume, a process that spans the entire board book. Using an abcb rhyme scheme, Boynton dresses Pookie in a series of cheerful costumes, including a dragon, a bunny, and even a caped superhero. Pookie eventually settles on the holiday classic, a ghost, by way of a bedsheet. Boynton sprinkles in amusing asides to her stanzas as Pookie offers costume commentary ("It's itchy"; "It's hot"; "I feel silly"). Little readers will enjoy the notion of transforming themselves with their own Halloween costumes while reading this book, and a few parents may get some ideas as well. Boynton's clean, sharp illustrations are as good as ever. This is Pookie's first holiday title, but readers will surely welcome more.
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-553-51233-5
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Robin Corey/Random
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
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The small size, a predictable winter adventure, and Boynton’s very toddlerlike character make this a fine stocking stuffer...
Seven years after Little Pookie (2011) first appeared, this popular piglet is finally celebrating Christmas.
“Oh Pookie! Come look! It’s beginning to snow,” says a maternal-looking pig. But where did Pookie go? Past the Christmas tree, to put on a snowsuit of course. Pookie’s ever cheerful mama is willing to go out too. After all, “It’s a magical time to be walking with you.” When she observes, “Our noses are frozen. It’s time to go in,” Pookie protests in typical toddler style: “But I’m not c-c-c-cold!” The next three pages highlight indoor holiday preparations—making paper garlands, baking and decorating cookies. The rhyming text mirrors the spare illustrations. A spidery type that emulates handwriting makes it clear when Pookie is speaking. Then “the doorbell is ringing. / Our family and friends have arrived for the singing.” The second-to-last spread shows Pookie, mama, and six other pigs—and Boynton’s requisite chicken—singing (“Con brio”), “MER-RY CHRIST-MAS! MER-RY CHRIST-MAS! AND A HAP-PY NEW YEAR!” Conveniently, this text is placed beneath the musical notation. Finally Pookie hangs a stocking and goes off to bed without any fuss, anticipating presents on Christmas morning.
The small size, a predictable winter adventure, and Boynton’s very toddlerlike character make this a fine stocking stuffer or an ideal Christmas Eve read to share with other little piggies. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3724-1
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
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BOOK REVIEW
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