Formulaic but funny.
No. 1 cave boy loses his mojo and his reputation when a flashy new kid comes along.
Little Orq and his pet mastodon, Woma, are the pride of the cave community. Orq can throw far, climb high, and run fast. (He’s a tiny, redheaded, white lad in a one-shoulder outfit that looks made of grass.) Woma sleeps lots, eats tons, and loves plenty. They are No. 1. “Everybody think so.” That is, until Torq comes along, with his big gray pet, Slomo, who resembles a giant sloth. Torq throws farther, climbs higher, and runs…“you get picture.” Torq becomes the new No. 1. Everybody thinks so, especially Torq himself. Orq’s mother tells him not to worry, but her advice falls on deaf ears. One day, Torq decides to climb a high mountain, far away from his home cave. Orq naturally follows, along with Slomo and Woma. The reckless Torq takes a tumble, hurting his ankle very badly. Orq springs into action, making a platform out of tropical tree trunks and then inventing the wheel to make a cart Woma can pull. Orq and Woma are No. 1 again. “Everybody think so.” Especially Torq, whom readers see zooming by in a cool, newly invented wheelchair. Elliott’s hilarious, clipped prose is the star of his third Orq adventure. Nichols’ pencil illustrations are drolly in tune, though they depict an all-white prehistoric society.
Formulaic but funny. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-62979-336-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
Both perfect for Lola fans and likely to earn her ever more readers.
After years of everyday joys with McQuinn and Beardshaw’s Lola, readers now watch her start school.
It “will be a bit like story time at the library, but Lola will stay by herself.” The little black girl “knows what to expect” because she’s visited the school with her mom. She is prepared with gifts from loved ones—“fun pencils” from Nana, a water bottle from Ty. The night before her “big day,” Lola lays out her outfit. In the morning, she tucks her stuffed kitty, Dinah, in her bag and poses for a snapshot. In the classroom, Miss Suzan, a white woman, shows her where to put her things. Lola spends time reading with her friend Julia, who has pale skin and black hair, and then they play dress-up. Her mom sits for a while before saying goodbye. After snack time and more play, there is circle time. Of course, “Lola knows the song and all the motions.” Picking Lola up at the end of the day, Mommy hugs her daughter. Beardshaw’s soft, slightly smudgy illustrations allow young readers to focus on one cozy moment at a time. Even at this milestone, Lola still appears quite tiny, and the text is no more complex than in previous books, making this a seamless transition from Lola’s younger days to her new life in school.
Both perfect for Lola fans and likely to earn her ever more readers. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 11, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-58089-938-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
A charmingly loud and lighthearted friendship story.
A freckle-faced white child with a mass of red curls piled three times the height of her head is flying her kite near a snowcapped mountaintop when—“snap!”—the string breaks, and the toy is blown into a sleeping bear’s cave, coming to rest on his belly.
Readers are cued into the nonscary absurdity as they observe the orange-furred bear napping in a Froggy Hollow Summer Camp T-shirt stretched across his huge belly, a tiny teddy bear tucked in his arm. As the girl reaches for her kite, the bear rolls over, crushing it: “crunch!” The girl is shocked into a fit of righteous anger, blaming the bear for breaking her toy. “HORRIBLE BEAR!”—and so begins the refrain of her angry tantrum. The team that brought readers the adorable Wolfie the Bunny (2014) continues their success here. OHora’s paintings are boldly colored and layered: a yellow stuffed bunny wears a teal jacket; the purple-and-black–clad little girl strides in red Converse high-top sneakers over a pea-green lawn. The limited language and solid acrylic paintings work together beautifully to convey emotion. When the little girl realizes that the bear didn’t break her toy on purpose, one word speaks volumes: “Oh.” Her face fills the entire page, her feelings indicated with black dot eyes, a couple of curved lines, and a black dot mouth.
A charmingly loud and lighthearted friendship story. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-316-28283-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2016
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