Once again, Rylant and Karas (The Case of the Sleepy Sloth, 2002, etc.) demonstrate why they are a cut above the rest when it comes to beginning readers: their verbal and visual sophistication is ever so easy and pleasurable. In their sixth adventure, the high-rise private eyes, Bunny (a bunny) and Jack (a raccoon), are on the track of an errant pair of fuzzy dice—lucky fuzzy dice that the bus driver must have hanging from his mirror or he won’t operate the bus. Of course, things are never so simple with these two, who start the proceedings by excising the calm Bunny is enjoying after a yoga session. Which also helps establish a running joke—the importance of potato chips in maintaining one’s emotional equilibrium—they will enjoy throughout the story, as well as introducing their cracked sense of humor. Rylant is not above some verbal tomfoolery—“ ‘Oops, did I scare you?’ Jack called. Bunny gave him a look. ‘I must have,’ said Jack. ‘You’re all white.’ ‘Jack, I’m always all white,’ said Bunny. ‘Oh, all white. Whatever you say,’ said Jack”—and Karas is ready to ramp up the imagery, like the smile on Jack’s face when he’s trying to soothe a ruffled, and very large, bulldog. The perp turns out to have made the kind of mistake any kid might. He learns what he has to do to rectify the situation: “Just tell Melvin you’re sorry, okay?” The kind of simple, respectful advice that builds character 12 different ways and entertainment while instructing that’s elevated to a particularly high order. (Easy reader. 4-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-06-009101-0
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2003
Detective Dinosaur, showcased in his third entry in the I Can Read! series, is the same charming numbskull readers have come to love. This book is broken up into three chapters, each of which is a “case” for the detective to solve. In the first caper, when Detective Dinosaur is called in to do some undercover work, the real mystery is his interpretation of "undercover." In the second, the dinosaur has a nightmare—er, napmare—and wakes up to find mysterious large blobs at the end of his blanket-covered legs. The third mystery takes the sleuth on an outing during which he tries to deduce why the sun is shining brightly even though he keeps getting soaked. Enhancing the narrative is a cast of funky characters, such as Ricky Raptor and Cadet Kitty, illustrated in bright cavorting watercolors. Readers will smirk at being smarter than the detective and giggle at his goof-ups. With a pronunciation guide for those tongue-twisting dinosaur names, this accessible and super-silly romp will be a boost for those about to embark on the next level for chapter books. (Early reader. 4-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-06-623878-4
Page Count: 48
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A deceptively subtle thought-provoker for preschoolers.
Four round and rubbery cartoon African animals—a wild dog, a warthog, a lion, and an elephant—find what seems to be a hole in the wall.
Round-eyed with excitement, each runs back to its fellows to report that the previous observer was wrong about what it observed. The dog finds the hole first: he sees a dog in it. The warthog sees a warthog, and so on. Alert children will catch on to this from the first image. (Spoiler alert: it’s a mirror.) At the end, when all four buddies (only the elephant is tagged as female) realize they are all correct and view themselves together in the mirror, “Everyone was happy because everyone was right!” The type is large and bold and uses color to highlight various words; all the colors have a smooth and slick feel to them. The story is based on a Mark Twain fable, which is reproduced in all of its fustian glory in three pages of text at the end. The moral of that tale is actually somewhat different from Wilhelm’s version and will prepare young readers for deconstructionist literary criticism in their later years, but the whole makes a fairly good read-aloud with very few words.
A deceptively subtle thought-provoker for preschoolers. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 15, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3535-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2015
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