by Cyndi Marko ; illustrated by Cyndi Marko ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 27, 2017
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
Share your opinion of this book
More by Cyndi Marko
BOOK REVIEW
by Cyndi Marko ; illustrated by Cyndi Marko
BOOK REVIEW
by Cyndi Marko ; illustrated by Cyndi Marko
BOOK REVIEW
by Cyndi Marko ; illustrated by Cyndi Marko
by Craig Smith ; illustrated by Katz Cowley ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2010
Hee haw.
Awards & Accolades
Likes
71
Our Verdict
GET IT
IndieBound Bestseller
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
Share your opinion of this book
More by Craig Smith
BOOK REVIEW
by Craig Smith ; illustrated by Katz Cowley
BOOK REVIEW
by Doug MacLeod ; illustrated by Craig Smith
BOOK REVIEW
by Adam Osterweil and illustrated by Craig Smith
by Tedd Arnold ; illustrated by Tedd Arnold ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2013
A first-rate sharkfest, unusually nutritious for all its brevity.
Buzz and his buzzy buddy open a spinoff series of nonfiction early readers with an aquarium visit.
Buzz: “Like other fish, sharks breathe through gills.” Fly Guy: “GILLZZ.” Thus do the two pop-eyed cartoon tour guides squire readers past a plethora of cramped but carefully labeled color photos depicting dozens of kinds of sharks in watery settings, along with close-ups of skin, teeth and other anatomical features. In the bite-sized blocks of narrative text, challenging vocabulary words like “carnivores” and “luminescence” come with pronunciation guides and lucid in-context definitions. Despite all the flashes of dentifrice and references to prey and smelling blood in the water, there is no actual gore or chowing down on display. Sharks are “so cool!” proclaims Buzz at last, striding out of the gift shop. “I can’t wait for our next field trip!” (That will be Fly Guy Presents: Space, scheduled for September 2013.)
A first-rate sharkfest, unusually nutritious for all its brevity. (Informational easy reader. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-545-50771-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
Share your opinion of this book
More In The Series
by Tedd Arnold ; illustrated by Tedd Arnold
by Tedd Arnold ; illustrated by Tedd Arnold
by Tedd Arnold ; illustrated by Tedd Arnold
More by Tedd Arnold
BOOK REVIEW
by Tedd Arnold , Martha Hamilton & Mitch Weiss ; illustrated by Tedd Arnold
BOOK REVIEW
by Tedd Arnold ; illustrated by Tedd Arnold
BOOK REVIEW
by Tedd Arnold & Martha Hamilton & Mitch Weiss ; illustrated by Tedd Arnold
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.