There is nothing special here.
Elmer the elephant lumbers through this nondescript counting book.
Mostly unrelated animals accumulate from one through 10, starting with “ONE smiling elephant.” The individual numerals are set apart in colored circles on each page and are repeated, spelled-out and capitalized, in the brief phrases. Oddly for a book featuring a crazy-quilt elephant, the animals' colorings vary widely in interest. Fish flaunt their polka dots and stripes, but the frogs and birds are monochromatically boring by comparison. Body language provides some whimsy in the otherwise straightforward compositions. The tigers hold hands and kick their legs in an exuberant dance; four lions sprawl on a rock, one gazing at the stars with arms behind his (they are all male) head. Companion Elmer's Opposites is similarly drab, with examples varying in effectiveness. “BLACK is BLACK. / WHITE is WHITE. / Wilbur is BOTH!” Wilbur the checkerboard elephant strides off the page in the picture. Elmer's silhouette forms the shaped cover of each book.
There is nothing special here. (Board book. 6 mos.-2)Pub Date: April 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7613-8999-6
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Andersen Press USA
Review Posted Online: June 12, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2012
IN THE NEWS
Utterly delightful.
A previously unpublished, fully illustrated dummy from the celebrated Provensens merits a posthumous transformation.
“When Max was a kitten, / he was the only one. // But he was as much trouble as ten kittens.” The yellow-eyed tabby grows bigger than mom Gooseberry, with a barnyard swagger to match. Delicate watercolor-and-ink illustrations contrast with Max’s bravado as he teases Maple Hill Farm’s other cats and dogs but not its goats, horse, or geese. An intrepid hunter, Max lines his home (a cozy nook built into the side of the barn) with squirrel tails. The Provensens adroitly illustrate many of Max’s feline characteristics, from sharp teeth and claws to his expressive, “important” tail. The charming narrative adopts a confiding tone, perhaps delivered by the light-skinned child depicted in many spreads. After tiring of the day’s barnyard rounds, Max leaves for the fields. “You would not know him. / He looks like a tiger.” Below a rising full moon, “his real life begins.” The publisher engaged lettering specialists to preserve the Provensens’ lovely handwritten forms as text type. Karen Provensen Mitchell, the couple’s daughter, provides a lovely note, with reminiscences, family photos, and an early illustration of the real Max. Hopefully, this appealing package will propel new generations to discover the Provensens, whose visual chronicles so adeptly revealed their reverence for the land and animals they stewarded. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Utterly delightful. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-59270-375-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2022
No need to wonder what-l to read next. Grab this axo-lent charmer!
Two siblings’ antics add up to a whole lot of cuteness.
Plum-colored Axolotl doesn’t do things by halves. You might say she goes full throttle, living life “to the max-a-lotl,” whether she’s skateboarding or playing her “sax-a-lotl while doing jumping jacks-a-lotl.” Artsy, lemon yellow younger brother Axolittle is a bit more subdued; he enjoys studying “facts a little," “dances, sings, and acts a little," and “loves to just relax a little.” The sibs generally get along until one day, while pretending she’s a duck, Axolotl accidentally ruins Axolittle’s painting; he squirts paint on her in retaliation. Axolotl’s mad-l; Axolittle’s sad-l. The next step? Call in Axo-Dad-l! That wise intercessor calms his weepy kids down, helping them reach an accord “in the axo-middle.” The contrite kids apologize and are soon reading, snacking, and cuddling “to the max-a-lotl.” This hilarious tale, expressed via frisky rhymes that read and scan well, is chock-full of nimble wordplay. Adults sharing this winner should encourage children to take inspiration from the text and make up their own similarly nonsensical (yet somehow logical) terms. Kids may also wish to learn about real axolotls (aquatic, gilled salamanders). The illustrations, incorporating some very creative typography, zing with color and energy and feature protagonists brimming with personality.
No need to wonder what-l to read next. Grab this axo-lent charmer! (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: July 8, 2025
ISBN: 9781464237904
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: April 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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