Little Whistle saves storytime in this third Toytown adventure. The latest installment finds the titular guinea pig (who lives in a store where the toys come alive at night) stepping out after hours to hear “Soldier” read a bedtime story to the Toytown babies. But when he finds Soldier in no shape for sharing (“Someone bumped me off my shelf today and I landed on my head”), Little Whistle sets out to find a cure. Unfortunately, his friends aren’t much help. All Bear has to offer is a beret; Violet, the china doll, suggests a lullaby; Lion has only a vanilla cookie; and Rabbit won’t even stop to listen. Just when Little Whistle is about to give up, a mother doll directs him to “shelves full of doctor and nurse kits.” With Little Whistle to the rescue, Soldier is soon on the mend, and Little Whistle and the babies settle in for the story. Realistic oils wrap readers in a comforting glow, especially in the end: lulled to sleep, the bald, bonneted babies and Little Whistle snuggle on Soldier’s lap. Easy to swallow and guaranteed to make you feel good, this is a soothing blend of words and images. (Picture book. 3-7)
Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-15-201086-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2002
The book is available in just about every format--but this is the perfect one.
It's hard to believe that a pop-up wasn't the creators' original intention, so seamlessly do moveable parts dovetail into this modern classic's storyline.
In contrast to the tale's 1998 pop -up version, the figures here move on every page, and with an unusually graceful naturalism to boot. From pulling down Big Nutbrown Hare's ears on the opening spread to make sure he's listening to drowsily turning his head to accept a final good-night kiss in a multi-leveled pull-down tableau at the close, all of Little Nutbrown Hare's hops, stretches and small gestures serve the poetically spare text—as do Big Nutbrown's wider, higher responses to his charge's challenges. As readers turn a flap to read Big Nutbrown's "But I love you this much," his arms extend to demonstrate. The emotional connection between the two hares is clearer than ever in Jeram's peaceful, restrained outdoor scenes, which are slightly larger than those in the trade edition, and the closing scene is made even more intimate by hiding the closing line ("I love you right up to the moon—and back") until an inconspicuous flap is opened up.
The book is available in just about every format--but this is the perfect one. (Pop-up picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7636-5378-1
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Sept. 21, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2011
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IN THE NEWS
Another Brett winner to add to the shelf.
A classic Russian tale gets Brett’s signature artwork and a twist ending.
When Badger Girl finds a giant turnip in the vegetable patch, she immediately starts thinking of all the tasty things that could be made with a turnip that size. But she can’t pull it out, not even with the assistance of Badger Boy, Mother Badger, or Father Badger, each new character heralded in the recto vignette on the previous page. Passing friends—Hedgie, Mr. Ram, and Vanya, the horse—join in, one by one, as the snowflakes signaling winter’s arrival start to fall, but even all pulling together, they can’t manage it. A rooster who had a narrow escape from a cooking pot happens by. Meanwhile, a mother bear and two cubs, whom observant readers have been watching in the vignettes on the versos, climb into their winter den to hibernate only to find a giant turnip in their bed. Well, their pushing and Rooster’s pulling coincide to pop the turnip out, and it’s turnip pancakes for those aboveground, sleep for the bears, and an honorary home for Rooster. Brett brings the Russian countryside setting to life. Her anthropomorphized animals wear clothing in shades of blues, white, and reds, and the patterns are beautiful. The wooden fences and house are elaborately carved, and Brett’s borders are highly detailed, many times looking like carved wood.
Another Brett winner to add to the shelf. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Nov. 3, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-3991-7070-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Aug. 4, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2015
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