The sounds of the barnyard—and the surprising likeness some of them hold to the English language—are introduced in this brisk and atmospheric picture book from a clever newcomer. When the kids pack up and return to school, the farm animals get a little bored; then the hen suggests a trip into town to see what’s happening. So a sampling of animals troops along until they see some smiling faces leaving a building: the library. Before the hen has a chance to go inside and investigate, the horse says, “You’re too small for such a big job. Leave it to me.” The horse goes in and asks for something to do, but all the librarian hears is “neigh, neigh.” The goat, pig, and cow get the same blank look from the librarian for all their baaahs, oinks, and moos. Thus it is left to the hen and her “book, book, book” to get the message across. Home again, all are content with the books until the frog notes that he “read it, read it.” Observant readers will have noticed that, in fact, he has. Simple, gladdening word fun, set in Beeke’s (The Brand New Creature, 1998) charming watercolor and acrylic scenes of familiar farm and library activities filled with just the right details. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: May 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-439-13525-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Levine/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
Inside a colorful garden, some plants “grow up,” while others “grow down, and still others grow “around and around.” This catchy, rhyming refrain, with some variation, introduces children to an abundance of garden vegetables and legumes, including corn, carrots, cucumbers, peppers, potatoes, broccoli, beets, green beans, okra, onions and tomatoes, as well as the ambiguous pumpkin, and follows them from seed to plant to lunch. The different plants are shown sprouting under and above ground, and youngsters will delight in the bird- and mole’s-eye perspectives. Energetic watercolor-and-ink illustrations, inhabited by multiracial tots, a farmer, a scarecrow, friendly bugs, worms, crows, rabbits and, of course, a plethora of seeds, plants and produce, are a feast for the eyes and will whet children’s appetites for further knowledge—and for a very healthy lunch. An inviting introduction to the wonder of plants, food and gardening, this charming selection will be a favorite of teachers, students and home readers alike. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: April 1, 2007
ISBN: 0-7636-2378-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2007
Superheroes, and readers, will live happily-ever-after.
Why have fairy tales lasted so long? Maybe it’s because they change with every teller.
It takes surprisingly little effort to turn the Three Little Pigs into superheroes. The Big Bad Wolf basically started out as a supervillain, with the ability to blow a house down, and the pigs had to perform spectacular feats to outwit him. In this picture book, the wolf, locked in the Happily Never After tower, devises a plot to escape. Using rotten eggs and spicy ginger, he creates the Gingerbread Man, who makes his way to a baking contest where the three pigs and other fairy-tale characters are competing to win the key to the city. The Gingerbread Man grabs the key, and not even superhero pigs are fast enough to catch him, but with their secret weapon—mustard (which one of the pigs also uses to bake cookies)—they save the day. The morals: Evil never triumphs, and mustard cookies are delicious. The book’s charm is in the details. There are splotches of mustard on the cookies featured on the endpapers, and a sly-looking mouse is hiding on many of the pages. The story even manages to include more than a dozen fairy-tale figures without seeming frenzied. Evans’ use of shading is so skillful that it almost seems possible to reach out and touch the characters. Most of the human characters are light-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Superheroes, and readers, will live happily-ever-after. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-338-68221-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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