With amusing, delightful rhymes and entertaining illustrations, this morning story should be a hit.
A young girl encounters assorted wild animals in the house in this rhyming picture-book adventure.
Brown-skinned, poofy-haired Miranda wakes up in a menagerie, discovering an armadillo, capybara, and more invading her bedroom. A speedy mongoose wearing Miranda’s sneakers streaks across the room while a hippo tries on the child’s new scouting vest and a sloth reads in the underwear drawer. The creatures don’t stop with the bedroom: There are lemurs performing a synchronized swim in the pool, chinchillas cavorting in the sink, and a platypus lounging in the tub. When Miranda’s mother calls, the child wakes to discover only the family dog and her own stuffed animals in the room. But that doesn’t keep her from protesting morning tasks: Mom “adds, ‘brush your teeth. Don’t forget.’ / ‘Okay Mom, but chinchillas are gonna get wet!’ ” In this imaginative tale, Stevenson’s silly rhymes scan beautifully, and unfamiliar animals and words will be easy for independent readers to guess and sound out from the context. Lap readers are likely to linger over Spicer’s hilarious animal illustrations. Miranda’s range of expressions and reactions makes for an appealing protagonist; the gray-haired mother shows a wider parent-child age differential than is common; and the Disney-worthy animal images are sure to grab and hold young readers’ attentions.
With amusing, delightful rhymes and entertaining illustrations, this morning story should be a hit.Pub Date: Feb. 29, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-73254-105-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Pigs Fly Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 27, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.
A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.
Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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