A dog wags his tail in the paint and voilà, Donny has a work of art; a wad of bubble gum causes a hysterical disaster; and someone lets the mouse out of its cage. “The answers don’t always go with the questions,” but there’s a ton of yucky stuff like Jessica’s smelly socks, escaping frogs devouring flies, and some gross food at lunch. This is a rollicking classroom and Harrison’s easy, rhythmic verses are fun. The rhymes are simple and obvious, but accessible to young readers. Fernandes’s cartoon illustrations are bright and lively and well suited to the material. Although there is not much that’s original or unique in either the text or the illustrations, it’s amusing and entertaining. (Poetry. 6-10)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2003
ISBN: 1-56397-550-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Wordsong/Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2003
Updike has revised a set of 12 short poems, one per month, first published in 1965, and Hyman’s busy, finely detailed scenes replace the original edition’s illustrations by Nancy Ekholm Burkert. The verses are written in a child’s voice—“The chickadees/Grow plump on seed/That Mother pours/Where they can feed”—and commemorate seasonal weather, flowers, food, and holidays. In the paintings a multiracial, all-ages cast does the same in comfortable, semi-rural New England surroundings, sitting at a table cutting out paper hearts, wading through reeds with a net under a frog’s watchful eye, picnicking, contemplating a leafless tree outside for “November” and a decorated one inside for “December.” The thoughts and language are slightly elevated but not beyond the ken of children, and the pictures enrich the poetry with specific, often amusing, incidents. (Poetry. 6-10)
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1999
ISBN: 0-8234-1445-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Old MacDonald had a farm, and on his farm animals pop up, wiggle, and roll their eyeballs. This hilarious paper-engineered version of the classic song will engage readers of all ages. The illustrations are amiable cartoons, while the mechanics of the pop-ups are superb. Old MacDonald’s tractor shakes its rear tires; a row of hungry cows roll their eyes and chew their cuds with enthusiasm. Not only are the movements funny, but the pull-tabs are tough—this book was designed to handle heavy use—and will probably survive even library circulation. (Pop-up. 2-5)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-531-30129-X
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Orchard
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1999
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