Kids will giggle at the striped-pajama–clad Pig Pig’s silly antics in this latest escapade
MacPhail’s penchant for pigs hasn’t ebbed, as he proves in adding another Pig Pig tale to his series; this one incorporates a grammar device.
The front endpapers and the double-page spread before the title page wordlessly set up the scene with visual clues as Pig Pig’s mother picks up the morning paper with the headline “Lion Escapes” just as the lion climbs a tree outside Pig Pig’s room. The lion jumps on Pig Pig’s bed, they run downstairs into the kitchen and romp through the living room, and all the while his (blissfully) unaware mother fixes his breakfast. Each short sentence includes a preposition highlighted in blue: “the chair tipped OVER”; “The lion wanted to sit BESIDE Pig Pig.” When Pig Pig asks if he can keep the lion, his mother answers no, but they can visit him in the zoo. The back endpapers show two zookeepers knocking at the door and the lion jumping out the bedroom window. McPhail’s familiar style in pen, ink and watercolor is playfully infectious (notice the cat’s reactions).
Kids will giggle at the striped-pajama–clad Pig Pig’s silly antics in this latest escapade . (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-58089-358-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2011
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original...
A sweetened, condensed version of the best-selling picture book, The Kissing Hand.
As in the original, Chester Raccoon is nervous about attending Owl’s night school (raccoons are nocturnal). His mom kisses him on the paw and reminds him, “With a Kissing Hand… / We’ll never be apart.” The text boils the story down to its key elements, causing this version to feel rushed. Gone is the list of fun things Chester will get to do at school. Fans of the original may be disappointed that this board edition uses a different illustrator. Gibson’s work is equally sentimental, but her renderings are stiff and flat in comparison to the watercolors of Harper and Leak. Very young readers will probably not understand that Owl’s tree, filled with opossums, a squirrel, a chipmunk and others, is supposed to be a school.
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original shouldn’t look to this version as replacement for their page-worn copies. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-933718-77-4
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Tanglewood Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance.
A boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too.
Norman, a “perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Percival (The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. Black-and-white illustrations show his father with dark skin and hair and his mother as white. The contrast of black-and-white illustrations with splashes of bright color complements the story’s theme. While Norman tries to be “normal,” the world and people around him look black and gray, but his coat stands out in yellow. Birds pop from the page in pink, green, and blue, emphasizing the joy and beauty of flying free. The final spread, full of bright color and multiracial children in flight, sets the mood for Norman’s realization on the last page that there is “no such thing as perfectly normal,” but he can be “perfectly Norman.”
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-785-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
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