Even those not pie-eyed for pigs will find something to like in this jolly outing.
What’s the perfect pet for you? Could it be a pig?
Haven’t you always wanted a pig? They make perfect pets. But first you have to convince your brother that he wants a pig too (instead of a rhino or gorilla or dragon). Wow him with some pig facts, like “pigs are louder than motorcycles.” If that doesn’t work, mention pigs love mud (and remind him that he does, too). Once he’s on board, you’ll have to convince your mother. She loves gardening but not pigs. Make a checklist of things you need to do before presenting your pig to mom. Top of the list, after picking him out, is cleaning him. This might be an ongoing concern (especially when your new pet decides veggies aren’t as appetizing as mom’s compost heap. Try teaching him tricks and take him to the fair to see if he can win a ribbon; Mom can’t possibly reject an award-winning pig. Or maybe the pig could help out in the garden? Marko’s graphic/early-reader hybrid about procuring a porcine pet will appeal to those looking for short, silly chapters. Her busy, cheery, full-color cartoon illustrations of a brown-skinned girl and her fair-skinned brother (with perfect pink piggie) mixed with two or three sentences per page and speech bubbles will keep pages turning.
Even those not pie-eyed for pigs will find something to like in this jolly outing. (Graphic/early-reader hybrid. 5-8)Pub Date: June 27, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-6826-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader!
Fun with friends makes for a great day.
Norbit, a salmon-colored worm with a pink kerchief, joyfully greets the day and everyone he encounters. “Hello, friends! It’s time for fun with the sun! Let’s play!” He and his menagerie of forest pals—including the sun, who grows limbs and descends from the sky—exuberantly engage in various forms of physical activity such as jumping, going down a slide, spinning around, and watching the clouds go by. Young readers will readily relate, as these are games that most children are familiar with. As day turns to night, Norbit says farewell to Sun and welcomes Moon with an invitation to continue the fun. Watkins has created a vivid world of movement and merriment. Her illustrations feature bright bursts of color that match the energy of the text, with most sentences ending in an exclamation point. The author/illustrator incorporates many elements that make for an ideal early-reading experience (despite the use of a contraction or two): art free from clutter, text consisting of words with only one or two syllables, and repetition and recurring bits, such as a continued game of hide-and-seek with Sun. Inspired by never-before-seen sketches from the Dr. Seuss Collection archives at the University of California San Diego, this is the first title for Seuss Studios, a new imprint for original stories from “emerging authors and illustrators” who “honor Seuss’s hallmark spirit of creativity and imagination.”
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader! (author's note) (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780593646212
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Seuss Studios
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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