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TOO MANY RABBITS

A delightful domestic debacle with pictures to pore over and many bunnies to count.

A two-for-the-price-of-one sale at the pet store challenges a resourceful family to cope with the inevitable consequences.

Hardly have Owen, Zoey, and their dad had time to feel amazed before their two new rabbits have turned into 210, nibbling on the furniture and leaving “little chocolate eggs” all over. It’s time for a grand, if occasionally ruthless, giveaway—but after leaving one with a passing juggler, slipping two into an unsuspecting neighbor’s mail slot, dropping three into the instrument case of a distracted street musician, and so on up to tying the last 20 to balloons, the children are dismayed to discover that there are none left. And so it’s back to the pet store…just in time to take advantage of a two-for-one sale on ferrets! Aside from looking for a message, if any, buried in the silliness, the chief fun of this Italian import will be counting the orange bunnies in Benetti’s duotone illustrations—they’re all there, each individually drawn and engaged, singly or in bunches, in tomfoolery. Human figures, rendered in grayscale, are mostly light-skinned, but there are also a few who are darker-complexioned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A delightful domestic debacle with pictures to pore over and many bunnies to count. (Picture book. 5-7)

Pub Date: March 14, 2023

ISBN: 978-1-63655-054-1

Page Count: 28

Publisher: Red Comet Press

Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022

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IT BEGAN WITH LEMONADE

Encouragement for moguls-to-be and fun for everyone else.

A young entrepreneur is ready to sell homemade lemonade, but everyone else has already staked out the best spots.

The nameless narrator rolls a colorful stand through the diverse city neighborhood and just keeps on going until reaching the countryside. Pushing it up a hill, the kid loses control, and the tall stand with the lemon on top goes careening through the woods until it finally stops near a river. Unexpectedly, a customer arrives! The kid serves up, and then a steady stream of customers float by: an octopus, two alligators, a sea monster, a diver in an old-fashioned helmet, and more. The kid needs to make more lemonade on the spot. After selling out and trudging home, the kid sleeps through the night dreaming about a future riverside lemonade empire. Careful readers will spot many reminders of the adventure in the kid’s bedroom. A toy octopus’s tentacles overflow from a chest, a diver’s helmet sits on the floor, pictures of sea animals and boats adorn the walls. The lines between reality and fantasy blur…but the tip jar is full. Bright cartoon illustrations are full of funny details (the lemonade-stand sign smiles and frowns expressively), and the alliterative text begs to be read aloud: “I sat for a long while, feeling terrible as a turnip,” the kid grumps at one point. The narrator has textured black hair and a ruddy complexion. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Encouragement for moguls-to-be and fun for everyone else. (Picture book. 5-7)

Pub Date: May 25, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-7352-2828-3

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Dial Books

Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021

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FLY GUY AND THE FRANKENFLY

From the Fly Guy series , Vol. 13

The theme of friendship and loyalty endures in this enjoyable mock-horror tale for new readers.

“It was a dark and stormy night” as series fans find Fly Guy and Buzz hard at work in their 13th adventure.

Buzz and his insect buddy are playing. After an evening of making puzzles, trying on creepy costumes and admiring a drawing Buzz created featuring them both in their frighteningly fun garb, Buzz’s eyes get heavy and he climbs into bed. But Fly Guy is up to something—he is “BIZZY!” Buzz drops off into dreamland…or does he? A couple of page turns reveal Fly Guy on the verge of bringing a gigantic monster to life. A flip of an electrical switch sets the nightmare in motion. “Buzz cried, ‘It’s Frankenfly!’ ” The enormous, green creature responds to Buzz’s shout and shambles over to him. No surprise that Fly Guy comes to Buzz’s rescue just as the monster, more silly than menacing, picks him up. Morning comes with a fall out of bed to reveal the result of the project Fly Guy was determined to finish the previous night. Giggles and grape juice bring this latest installment to a satisfying close. All the while, Arnold’s deftly drawn cartoon expressions comically show the range of emotions as Buzz and Fly Guy experience fear, shock, bewilderment, determination and pride.

The theme of friendship and loyalty endures in this enjoyable mock-horror tale for new readers. (Easy reader. 5-7)

Pub Date: July 1, 2013

ISBN: 978-0-545-49328-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic

Review Posted Online: July 16, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2013

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