It’s easy to see how Pilkey’s high-action, easy-reading chapter novel with a comic-book feel would appeal to younger readers. The black-and-white stylish pictures by Ontiveros are way cool and the text is insouciant and funny. This is the third book that pairs the tiny bespectacled mouse, Ricky, with his super-strong, giant robot buddy, a sharp-jawed fellow who looks like an out-of-shape wrestler with rodent ears. Because Ricky is being punished for acting irresponsibly—he and his robot have come home late for dinner again—they are the only ones on the Planet Earth who miss the television show Rocky Rodent. And it’s a good thing too, because that very night a group of Voodoo Vultures from the Planet Venus, tired of eating the melted mess that passes for food on their super hot planet, beam down rays through the television, hypnotizing Earth’s entire population, except for Ricky, into obeying their wishes. When they arrive on Earth, the ravenous vultures order the hypnotized mice to bring them good Earth cooking, in a funny throwaway touch demanding “more chocolate chip cookies” but “no more rice cakes,” until Ricky is able to figure out how to save the day. Parents will be happy to know this tale does have a moral, “responsibility . . . is doing the right thing at the right time,” though giggling fans may miss it. Also containing a rather lame flip-o-rama and instructions on how to draw the characters, this book is silly good fun. (Fiction. 7-10)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-439-23624-X
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Blue Sky/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2000
Hippos bellow, squirrels chitter, and hyenas guffaw in this counting book of animal noises. Wadsworth and Needham count off animals from 1—20, with a paragraph on each: what 15 shrieking gulls eat, when 2 roosters crow, and why 11 slithering snakes flick their tongues in and out and hiss. For the most part, animals are portrayed in realistically sized groups, e.g., a single tiger, but 18 crows. The large realistic illustrations bring preschoolers up close to animals such as tigers and snakes without making the creatures appear too intimidating. Sound effects are included for each animal, so even toddlers will enjoy the counting and the racket. (Picture book. 3-8)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-88106-273-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1999
London (Ice Bear and Little Fox, 1998, etc.) describes a family’s trip into the mountains to backpack up a creek. There’s strenuous hiking through chest-deep cold water, worry-free skinny-dipping on a sunny day, a cookout under the stars, a dangerous encounter with a mountain lion, and a final feat—climbing a waterfall. Kastner’s brilliantly colored oil paintings fill every page, pulling readers into the trip to experience nature’s wonders. Together, the family does the very thing “that cannot be done”—they climb the side of a steep waterfall to its peak, rejoicing in a polished piece of driftwood to take home as a souvenir. A poetic appreciation of the beauty of nature and respect for its awesome force. (Picture book. 3-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-670-87617-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1999
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