INTERRUPTING CHICKEN AND THE ELEPHANT OF SURPRISE

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INTERRUPTING CHICKEN AND THE ELEPHANT OF SURPRISE

Name: INTERRUPTING CHICKEN AND THE ELEPHANT OF SURPRISE
Author: David Ezra Stein
ISBN: 978-0-7636-8842-4

From the Interrupting Chicken series

by David Ezra Stein ; illustrated by David Ezra Stein ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 11, 2018

Unsurprisingly good.

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A laugh-out-loud follow-up to Stein’s 2011 Caldecott honoree,Interrupting Chicken.

Little Chicken is back, and her metafictive editorial impulses are as strong as ever. After school, she tells Papa, “my teacher told us every story has an elephant of surprise.” Papa corrects her, replying, “She was talking about an elementof surprise,” but Chicken is unconvinced and is determined to find surprising elephants in the stories she reads for homework with Papa. And find them she does in the books-within-the-book: The Ugly Duckling,Rapunzel, and The Little Mermaid. As inInterrupting Chicken, Stein changes styles to illustrate Chicken’s books and then visually interrupts those scenes—this time not just with Chicken jumping into the books, but with her imagined elephant of surprise, too. He ratchets up the humor by depicting the small, blue, adorable elephant in costume for each story—feathered like a swan, wearing long braids and a dirndl, and finally in a grass skirt and coconut bra. More indulgent than exasperated, Papa determines to tell Chicken a story without elephants, and she illustrates it. She, of course, also interrupts it with an elephant of surprise. While the interrupting conceit is a bit less straightforward in this book than its predecessor, fans of the two loving characters will be delighted to see them again.

Unsurprisingly good. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 11, 2018

ISBN: 978-0-7636-8842-4

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: July 4, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
BEAKY BARNES AND THE DEVIOUS DUCK
by David Ezra Stein ; illustrated by David Ezra Stein

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BEAKY BARNES
by David Ezra Stein ; illustrated by David Ezra Stein

- BOOK REVIEW
INTERRUPTING CHICKEN
by David Ezra Stein ; illustrated by David Ezra Stein

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THE QUACKEN

by Justin Colón ; illustrated by Pablo Pino ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 16, 2024

Pitch-perfect tension and delightful silliness.

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The legend of a giant, dangerous duck at Cucumonga Campground looms large.

Young Hector and his family are on vacation. Everything seems pleasant except for the many objects that have gone missing and the warnings Hector keeps receiving. Everyone tells him not to interact with the ducks. Don’t go near them, don’t look at them, and absolutely, positively, do not feed them. To further emphasize the point, “DO NOT FEED THE DUCKS” signs pop up every few feet at the campground. So what does Hector do? He feeds the ducks. They just look so cute and hungry. Amid the many feathers flapping, a large, foreboding shadow suddenly crosses the lake. Colón builds suspense through short, clipped narration. The weather turns ominous, and people flee in terror—it’s…THE QUACKEN! The fearsome, colossal wildfowl has appeared! It’s always one step ahead of Hector until there is no escape. Hector is popped into the duck’s bill like a delicious morsel. But, luckily for Hector, “children taste terrible.” Reminiscent of old, cheesy horror films, this tale will make a hilariously over-the-top read-aloud. Pino ramps up the drama in his illustrations, alternating full-page spreads with graphic novel–like panels and vignettes. Hector and his family are brown-skinned, while other campers are racially diverse.

Pitch-perfect tension and delightful silliness. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: July 16, 2024

ISBN: 9781665922487

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: April 20, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
THE ZOMBEES
by Justin Colón ; illustrated by Kaly Quarles

- BOOK REVIEW
IMPOSSIBLE POSSUMS
by Justin Colón ; illustrated by James Rey Sanchez

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SWARM OF BEES

by Lemony Snicket ; illustrated by Rilla Alexander ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 2, 2019

A witty, thought-provoking triumph.

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An angry kid wreaks havoc until a father’s restorative embrace brings love and forgiveness to child and community.

Tomato in hand, spite on his face, a young boy pulls his tomato-laden wagon across the front endpapers, straight for a bees’ nest. Readers will delight in the title page’s payoff, as the nest sways from the tomato’s impact and hostile bees pour forth. Through the town they fly with the boy, gauging possible targets: a sailor and his mother, workers, pets, apartment dwellers. All are considered by the clever narrator, who uses nursery rhyme–esque repetition. But then it’s revealed: The boy stung all the targets with his tomatoes! The aggrieved neighbors and bees now chase the child across a map full of tomato-splattered evidence. Acting as a metaphor for the emotional states of the characters, the bees are soon caught and calmed by a beekeeper while the boy is soothed by his father’s warm and loving embrace. The artwork, done with ink, rubber stamps, and digital collage, perfectly enhances the text, balancing its emotional depth with comedic beats. Rarely does a design so fully consider how images tell a story from cover to cover, from the swarm leading the eyes to the ingenious use of shapes, color, patterns, negative space, and framing. Mischief-makers will be captivated by its humor and promise of unconditional love and forgiveness; their caregivers will appreciate the exploration of emotions and possible responses.

A witty, thought-provoking triumph. (Picture book. 4-8)