4-8)
A blustering, self-infatuated lion takes his lumps and gains a crack at redemption in Yaccarino's (An Octopus Followed
Me Home, 1997, etc.) latest offering. The Lord of the Jungle is busy lording over it all: the monkeys fan him, the elephants provide shade, the leopards fetch his food, and the gorillas tend to his mane—or else he will eat them. Of course, as Yaccarino dryly summarizes, "The animals couldn't stand him one bit." One day a man is spied strolling through the jungle. The lion attacks, but is disarmed when the fellow says he can make him a big star. The lion obviously doesn't recognize the plaid jacket and shades as the mark of a shyster, because in no time at all, the lion is being exploited and demeaned as a circus act. Until, that is, he eats the man and makes his getaway. Back to the jungle he hurries, fully intending to take up his place of honor, but instead finds the other animals being locked into cages for shipment. The animals are not keen on the lion's reappearance (their words sting the lion), but they are unwitting about the future and what the cages represent. It falls upon our hero to work the oldest circus trick in the book, liberate the animals, and then rein in his arrogance. (They don't call it a "pride" of lions for nothing.) The droll story comes with a toothsome accompaniment of Yaccarino's retro art, with its edge of goofiness and deep-dish color. (Picture book.
4-8)Pub Date: March 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-689-82235-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PLB 0-7868-2367-4 Outrageous puns, sly references, and wonderfully exaggerated pastels are just the ticket from the team behind Zoom Broom (1998). The Big Guy is a giant ape, neat in his white shirt and khakis, trying to sell Ape-On Cosmetics door-to-door. Despite his degree in Monkey Business, he can’t seem to unload any Ape-ricot Lip Gloss or Banana Cream Facial. Clutching his selling handbook, he decides to move from the wilds to “Gotham. Metropolis. Big Apple.” He’s ready to work his way up, even when he’s handed a pail and a squeegee. The Big Galoot works his way up to the 81st floor of the Empire State Building where a blonde beauty inspires him to try one more sale. He’s got her in the palm of his hand, when he takes a huge tumble and is discovered by a Hollywood agent. Readers won’t need to know King Kong or recognize the numerous cultural and commercial homages to be in stitches. Fine’s luxurious palette and angled perspectives add to the broad humor. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-7868-0420-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
From Powell (A Bold Carnivore, 1995) comes Gary Paulsen-like insight: Once a sled dog, always a sled dog, for although a Newfoundland named Cora is getting too old to pull, her owners can’t get the hearty dog to quit. Every Christmas the dogs help a mother, father, and Susan bring home a Christmas tree from the snowy woods. This year, Cora is not hitched up with the other two sled dogs in her bright red harness. She refuses to stay home, and follows the family into the forest. At first Cora gets underfoot; the family doesn’t understand what she is trying to do. But when the tree is selected, chopped down, and tied to the sled, Cora leads the other dogs—helping in spirit, if not in fact. Powell’s colorful woodcuts portray a crisp snow-filled north woods with deep blue shadows and green pines. The Yuletide setting is background dressing; the interactions of dogs and family predominate. An affectionate, unusual story. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8075-5968-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
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