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MORRIS MOLE

Name: MORRIS MOLE
Author: Dan Yaccarino
ISBN: 978-0-06-241107-5

by Dan Yaccarino ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 2, 2017

Plot holes may mar the story a bit, but there’s plenty to dig anyway.

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Morris strikes out on his own in this story about an anthropomorphic, iconoclast mole.

Smaller than the rest and clad in a dapper suit rather than miners’ gear, Morris Mole’s suggestion falls on deaf ears when he voices an idea to improve his fellow moles’ lot. While his brothers’ focus is on digging ever deeper underground to find scarce food, Morris Mole decides to tunnel up through the earth. “I may be small, but I can do big things,” he tells himself as he digs deep within himself to find courage. When he emerges aboveground he finds a wonderland of not only food, but bird song, flowers, and friendly passers-by. An encounter with a fox almost dooms Morris, but then he (rather implausibly) saves the fox from a wolf, who, for some odd reason, just lets him be. This plot twist seems rather forced and lacking in logic, but the grateful fox then rallies others to collect a veritable feast for Morris Mole to bring back to his underground family. Yaccarino’s digital illustrations are bold and graphic, and they do an excellent job of contrasting the under- and aboveground worlds that Morris Mole traverses in his adventure of individuality and community.

Plot holes may mar the story a bit, but there’s plenty to dig anyway. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: May 2, 2017

ISBN: 978-0-06-241107-5

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: March 14, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2017

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
PICCOLO
by Dan Yaccarino ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

- BOOK REVIEW
THE LUNA SISTERS AND THEIR AMAZING LUNAFISH
by Dan Yaccarino ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

- BOOK REVIEW
CRANE JANE!
by Andrea Zimmerman ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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THE LOUD LIBRARIAN

by Jenna Beatrice ; illustrated by Erika Lynne Jones ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 11, 2023

This tale of an aspiring librarian is ideal for all kinds of storytimes.

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A vocal girl finds her vocation.

A diverse class of 12 youngsters finds out that Penelope, a Black girl with glasses and a barrette, will be the next student-librarian. Her classmate Angela, who drew a “Quiet Please” sign in anticipation, looks horrified by this choice, an interesting hint at conflict that goes unaddressed. Penelope has practiced for this role all year, working on her alphabetization skills and cementing her status as a book lover. Unfortunately, she also has a shockingly loud voice and struggles with impulse control, and her brief stint in the library is marked by fallen books, startled students, and a sudden domino effect when shock waves from her voice knock over an entire bookshelf. Penelope decides that her skills are better spent in outdoor storytime, and the book indicates that she keeps trying in the library. In real life, children’s and elementary school libraries usually aren’t as quiet as adult spaces, and this book could bolster the stereotype of the ideal librarian as sedate and shush-y. It’s also unclear whether Paige Turner Library is connected to Penelope’s school or a stand-alone building, raising some logistical questions. But this would be fun to read aloud, especially to a group of library lovers, and the bright, blocky illustrations are pitch-perfect for the tone. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

This tale of an aspiring librarian is ideal for all kinds of storytimes. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: April 11, 2023

ISBN: 9781665910545

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Atheneum

Review Posted Online: Jan. 24, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ANNABELLE AND THE SPAGHETTI-CONFETTI SURPRISE
by Jenna Beatrice ; illustrated by Annabel Tempest

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TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE KID

by Drew Daywalt ; illustrated by Molly Idle ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 3, 2021

Nice enough, but its twinkle is on the faint side.

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A boy gets an unusual payoff after wishing on a star.

Sitting outside one night, Clyde notices a lone star in the sky. He recites the “Star light, star bright” incantation and makes a wish. Disappointed when it doesn’t come true, he returns home. But later, while he’s asleep, the star he’d wished on sneaks into his bedroom and makes a wish on him! Startled awake, Clyde wonders how to grant Star’s wish. He shares some ideas (and actual objects) with her: a game of checkers, tent camping, tossing a Frisbee, and walkie-talkies. Star likes them, but they’re not her wishes; Clyde confides there’s no one to enjoy them with—and wonders if perhaps Star had wished for a friend. No one will be surprised at what Clyde next confesses to Star. The pair winds up playing together and becoming besties. This is a sweet but thin and predictable story about making friends. Still, readers will appreciate meeting feisty, celestial Star. The author reaches for humor using colloquialisms (“freaked out”), and kids will like the comfortable familiarity that develops between the cheery protagonists. The colored-pencil illustrations are rendered in a limited palette of mostly dark blues and purples, appropriate to the nighttime setting. Star is a luminous, pale yellow with a white topknot and has a star-dappled aura around her. Purple-pj’d Clyde wears bunny slippers and presents White. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Nice enough, but its twinkle is on the faint side. (Picture book. 4-7)