A young boy’s toys come to life for a nighttime trek across the bedroom in their jeep. As the father-and-son pair (wooden dollhouse figurines) travel, they pick up more and more passengers: two rabbits who leap out in front, a road crew done for the night, a farmer and his flock of sheep and a monkey whose banana car has a flat. With all that and stopping for a passing train, will they make it in time for sunrise on the mountain? While similar to the illustrator’s Tugga-Tugga Tugboat (2006) and Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo (1999), both by Kevin Lewis, the text suffers from sometimes-uneven scansion and obvious rhymes: “Wake up, sleepyhead. / Time’s a-wastin’. Out of bed.” And while Kirk’s illustrative style is much in evidence with his rich colors and up-close views of the bedroom floor, the artwork lacks the just-right details that made the previous collaborations such a hit. Fans of the other two will likely find this title’s familiarity comforting, but it just doesn't measure up. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4231-2486-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2010
The joys of counting combine with pretty art and homage to Goodnight Moon.
This bedtime book offers simple rhymes, celebrates the numbers one through 10, and encourages the counting of objects.
Each double-page spread shows a different toddler-and-caregiver pair, with careful attention to different skin tones, hair types, genders, and eye shapes. The pastel palette and soft, rounded contours of people and things add to the sleepy litany of the poems, beginning with “Goodnight, one fork. / Goodnight, one spoon. / Goodnight, one bowl. / I’ll see you soon.” With each number comes a different part in a toddler’s evening routine, including dinner, putting away toys, bathtime, and a bedtime story. The white backgrounds of the pages help to emphasize the bold representations of the numbers in both written and numerical forms. Each spread gives multiple opportunities to practice counting to its particular number; for example, the page for “four” includes four bottles of shampoo and four inlaid dots on a stool—beyond the four objects mentioned in the accompanying rhyme. Each home’s décor, and the array and types of toys and accoutrements within, shows a decidedly upscale, Western milieu. This seems compatible with the patronizing author’s note to adults, which accuses “the media” of indoctrinating children with fear of math “in our country.” Regardless, this sweet treatment of numbers and counting may be good prophylaxis against math phobia.
The joys of counting combine with pretty art and homage to Goodnight Moon. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-101-93378-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A huge yellow parade balloon manages to slip his tether and elude his handlers. Seen partially, big grin in place, Ray’s sunny yellow roundness peeks through windows, at the edges of the frames and from behind buildings. Bright colors and cartoon illustration add to a feeling of celebration and wildly cheerful chaos as the parade is interrupted by Ray’s unexpected escape. "It was rare for a balloon like Ray, / who had been good for years, / to decide that ‘today was the day.' " Johnson's lyrically reportorial, enigmatic text offers no answers, just a slyly subversive account of the shenanigans. "That day the parade was a disaster: / clowns everywhere, / bands backed up downtown, / ... / paper flowers as far as the eye could see, / ... and Ray, / shining bright, smiling (he always did)." There’s plenty to talk about: What kind of balloon is Ray? What is going to happen? Some may wish for a back story—or to know what happens to Ray as he continues sedately skyward—but small listeners who occasionally tire of holding hands every time they go out may find Ray’s boldness thrilling and poetically liberating. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-689-87375-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 29, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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