A fun romp with uniquely illustrated characters and a simple solution to an amusingly silly dilemma.
A happy-go-lucky hare finds it difficult to hop when his socks won’t stay up.
Henry Hare loves to hop, but his hopping is a bit hampered by his titular “floppy socks.” They habitually slide down his ankles and over the tops of his sneakers, and he finds himself spending so much time pulling and tugging them back up that he decides to try to find a solution. Linda Sue the duck suggests using tape or glue, but Henry wisely points out that neither would stick to his fur. Next, Linda Sue suggests bubble gum, but Henry finds this equally “dumb.” When Linda Sue suggests string or a rubber band, Henry seizes upon the idea, but Peter, Paul and Peggy Pup are there to tell Henry that a rubber band would only cut the circulation off to his feet. Despondent, Henry seems willing to accept that nothing will ever keep his socks up where they belong—until wise Al the owl tells him to use suspenders. And that’s just what Henry does. Cobb (Greta’s Magical Mistake, 2013) highlights an amusing scenario with Henry and his socks that just won’t stay up. Even if they’ve never experienced something similar, young readers may still be entertained by Henry’s difficulties—particularly when the frustrated hare attempts to hop while holding on to his socks. The book follows a familiar formula: The title character receives advice from various other characters on how to solve his dilemma until, somewhat predictably, the wise owl saves the day. Cobb’s text has a playful rhythm to it, though it unfortunately sometimes breaks that rhythm in order to force a rhyme here and there. Overall, however, the narrative is solid, if partly because it’s so familiar. In Miller’s unique illustrations, Henry and the other animals resemble an amalgamation of beautifully patterned cutouts. Unfortunately, the background is equally colorful and dizzying, occasionally drowning out the characters. Nevertheless, the overall effort will impress young readers.
A fun romp with uniquely illustrated characters and a simple solution to an amusingly silly dilemma.Pub Date: April 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0615796109
Page Count: 36
Publisher: 10 to 2 Children's Books
Review Posted Online: June 18, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
For a novel so filled with debauchery, it could use a few more real thrills.
After his father’s death, Simon Powell moves from sleepy Sibley, Ark., to Los Angeles, where he’s pulled into a seedy underworld.
When Simon Powell was 17, he left home to join the Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s Unification Church. He had never considered himself religious, but he hoped the church would help him repress his homosexuality and hide the fact that he was gay from his conservative family. Ultimately, Simon can’t deny who he is and so abandons the church after 10 years. He returns to Arkansas, but when his father dies, he moves to L.A. to reunite with old friends. Once there, he drinks heavily, goes out every night and picks up a cocaine habit. Simon’s friends come and go, many after screwing him over in some way, and his lovers are all interchangeable hustlers. The portrayal of a party boy’s surfeit of sex, drugs and money may be an accurate representation of the ’80s, but it doesn’t make it any more interesting. All of Simon’s relationships are with people who just want drugs or money from him. It’s difficult to become invested in any of the characters; they have no attachment to him and his attraction to them, romantic or otherwise, is equally superficial. He repeatedly makes the same bad decisions in his personal life, readily trusting people who will obviously take advantage of him. When he hits rock bottom after going on a crack binge with yet another young hustler, it’s not surprising or upsetting. One of the most interesting aspects of Simon’s story, his membership in the Unification Church, is not explored enough. He summarizes his time there, but provides disappointingly few memories or specific details.
For a novel so filled with debauchery, it could use a few more real thrills.Pub Date: May 18, 2012
ISBN: 978-0615559575
Page Count: 348
Publisher: Simon Says
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An interesting yarn in need of a thorough edit and a better exploration of the main character’s motives and personae.
Nelson’s adventure thriller is the captivating story of a dedicated young ethnobotanist lured to work for a wealthy Texas research institute by her former mentor.
Diane, a promising professor who specializes in tropical miracle drugs, finds herself languishing at a Pennsylvania university. Her older husband, Vincent, appears to have a flourishing career, yet his grant funding has been cut. Unexpectedly, the two career academics receive an invitation to a Christmas yacht party in Galveston Bay. Nelson makes it easy to understand why Diane and Vincent leave cold, dreary Pittsburgh for a warm, fantastic world filled with escaped chimpanzees, spectacular sailboats and white-pillared mansions. But their carefree vacation doesn’t last long. Vincent suspects that the director of the institute has murdered one of his former researchers. Nelson writes fluidly, drawing in readers. The novel effortlessly combines romance, drama and science. Fewer scientific anecdotes, however, would improve readability; the narrative lags until Nelson returns to her protagonists. By the time Nelson does pull back to Vincent and Diane, the couple’s marriage has come apart. After Vincent’s boat is reported missing, Diane finally begins to believe that her new employers are corrupt. Implausibly, she stays on in Texas, planning a trip to the Colombian jungle. As Diane inches closer to Colombia, the clichéd descriptions and stock situations mount. These weary the reader and render the story less believable. Finally, Diane reaches her destination, where she reunites with her mentor, Olimpia. As the setting moves into a dream world of a mountainous cloud forest, the novel assumes a rambling quality before its abrupt ending; an ending that includes too many loose ends, possibly reserved for a sequel.
An interesting yarn in need of a thorough edit and a better exploration of the main character’s motives and personae.Pub Date: May 21, 2012
ISBN: 978-1466467484
Page Count: 306
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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