A fun-filled romp around the Big Apple for children and adults to enjoy together.
Feline best friends Ollie and Moon take a whirlwind tour of New York City.
During their adventures in Paris (Ollie & Moon, 2011), Ollie provided Moon with delightful surprises. Now Moon is determined to make Ollie laugh as they wander uptown, downtown and crosstown. She tries food jokes, dance moves, silly snapshots and cavorting with a troupe of mimes, but she wins only an occasional smile. In the manner of Mo Willems’ Knuffle Bunny books, Meskin’s colorful photos of the Staten Island Ferry, the subway, the Library Lions, Central Park and other iconic city sights and settings form the backdrop for Kredensor’s goofy cartoon characters. Ollie and Moon have square heads and enormous eyes and are decidedly uncatlike. As they move through the city, they are surrounded by a cast of outlandish creatures. A snail cab driver utters the poetic “Fuhgeddaboudit.” A trio of mouse musicians plays on the subway platform as a giraffe listens to a boom box on the train. Observant readers will find even more madcap extras, such as skating penguins, a beaver with a backpack and an announcement for an exhibit about cheese through the ages. It all concludes with a gross-out event that finds Moon and Ollie—and probably readers—giggling.
A fun-filled romp around the Big Apple for children and adults to enjoy together. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: May 22, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-375-87014-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Feb. 14, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2012
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle...
Making things is difficult work. Readers will recognize the stages of this young heroine’s experience as she struggles to realize her vision.
First comes anticipation. The artist/engineer is spotted jauntily pulling a wagonload of junkyard treasures. Accompanied by her trusty canine companion, she begins drawing plans and building an assemblage. The narration has a breezy tone: “[S]he makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!” The colorful caricatures and creations contrast with the digital black outlines on a white background that depict an urban neighborhood. Intermittent blue-gray panels break up the white expanses on selected pages showing sequential actions. When the first piece doesn’t turn out as desired, the protagonist tries again, hoping to achieve magnificence. A model of persistence, she tries many adjustments; the vocabulary alone offers constructive behaviors: she “tinkers,” “wrenches,” “fiddles,” “examines,” “stares” and “tweaks.” Such hard work, however, combines with disappointing results, eventually leading to frustration, anger and injury. Explosive emotions are followed by defeat, portrayed with a small font and scaled-down figures. When the dog, whose expressions have humorously mirrored his owner’s through each phase, retrieves his leash, the resulting stroll serves them well. A fresh perspective brings renewed enthusiasm and—spoiler alert—a most magnificent scooter sidecar for a loyal assistant.
Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle characterization for maximum delight. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-55453-704-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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