by Dana Kessimakis Smith & illustrated by Laura Freeman ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2005
Using a big box and a colander “helmet,” a lad turns the stress of moving-in day into the excitement of a rip-roaring space adventure—but this promising premise runs afoul of inexpert execution in both writing and pictures. As a versifier, Smith has trouble keeping her word stresses and syllable count consistent, as well as remembering that rhyme should serve meaning, not vice versa: “I pop the hatch, the rocket door / We wave good-bye to our team / We climb on board, we buckle in / The engines smoke and steam.” (No, rocket ships don’t smoke or steam.) While this repeat visit might be welcomed by those who enjoyed A Wild Cowboy (2004), the contrast between the boy’s imagination in the text and the reality in the pictures is less pronounced and doesn’t have the fresh surprise of occupational idioms used to bring a smile upon recognition. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-7868-0933-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2005
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by Dana Kessimakis Smith & illustrated by Laura Freeman
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Caldecott Honor Book
by Brendan Wenzel ; illustrated by Brendan Wenzel ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 30, 2016
A solo debut for Wenzel showcasing both technical chops and a philosophical bent.
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New York Times Bestseller
Caldecott Honor Book
Wouldn’t the same housecat look very different to a dog and a mouse, a bee and a flea, a fox, a goldfish, or a skunk?
The differences are certainly vast in Wenzel’s often melodramatic scenes. Benign and strokable beneath the hand of a light-skinned child (visible only from the waist down), the brindled cat is transformed to an ugly, skinny slinker in a suspicious dog’s view. In a fox’s eyes it looks like delectably chubby prey but looms, a terrifying monster, over a cowering mouse. It seems a field of colored dots to a bee; jagged vibrations to an earthworm; a hairy thicket to a flea. “Yes,” runs the terse commentary’s refrain, “they all saw the cat.” Words in italics and in capital letters in nearly every line give said commentary a deliberate cadence and pacing: “The cat walked through the world, / with its whiskers, ears, and paws… // and the fish saw A CAT.” Along with inviting more reflective viewers to ruminate about perception and subjectivity, the cat’s perambulations offer elemental visual delights in the art’s extreme and sudden shifts in color, texture, and mood from one page or page turn to the next.
A solo debut for Wenzel showcasing both technical chops and a philosophical bent. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4521-5013-0
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
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by Beth Ferry ; illustrated by Brendan Wenzel
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by Brendan Wenzel ; illustrated by Brendan Wenzel
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by Brendan Wenzel ; illustrated by Brendan Wenzel
by Ben Clanton ; illustrated by Ben Clanton ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2020
Cute and brave—gee, Rot’s spud-tacular!
A “scaredy-spud” puts on his brave face.
All “mutant potatoes” love mud. Mud is good for playing games, eating, and even sleeping. But few taters have more tender feelings toward muck than Rot. À la Pete the Cat, Rot celebrates mud in song: “Mud between my toes! / Mud in my nose! / Mud is GREAT / wherever it GOES!” When Rot’s big brother, Snot, tells Rot about the Squirm that lives “deep down in the mushy muck,” his love quickly turns to fear. But he doesn’t give up! Instead, Rot imagines himself in various disguises to work up courage. There’s “Super Spud” (a superhero), “Sir Super Rot, the Brave and Bold” (a superhero-knight), and even “Sir Super Rot the Pigtato” (a, um, superhero-knight-pig-potato). The disguises are one thing, but, deep down, is Rot really brave enough to face the Squirm? Readers wooed by Rot’s charm in Rot: The Cutest in the World (2017) will laugh out loud at this well-paced encore—and it’s not just because of the butt cracks. Clanton creates a winning dynamic, balancing Rot’s earnestness, witty dialogue, and an omniscient, slightly melodramatic narrator. The cartoon illustrations were created using watercolors, colored pencils, digital collage, and—brilliantly—potato stamps. Clanton’s reliance on earth tones makes for some clever, surprising page turns when the palette is broken.
Cute and brave—gee, Rot’s spud-tacular! (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: June 16, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4814-6764-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
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by Ben Clanton & Andy Chou Musser ; illustrated by Ben Clanton & Andy Chou Musser
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by Ben Clanton ; illustrated by Ben Clanton
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by Ben Clanton ; illustrated by Ben Clanton
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