King-Smith's latest is no surprise—yet another tale of an animal on a British farm, informed by keen insight into animal behavior and leavened with just enough fantasy to allow the animals to converse—but it is, predictably, delightful. On a class trip, Jack snitches an ostrich egg (which would otherwise have been fed to a boa constrictor); tucking it under the family goose (he has to find her eggs a stepfamily, since the incubation periods are different), he succeeds in hatching Oliver, whose dim, self-important "father" continues to believe he's a goose despite all the evidence, but whose "mother" is more astute. Seamlessly bringing in an ostrich's normal maturation (Jack, a bird enthusiast, is well versed), King-Smith fashions an eventful plot: Oliver's near-disastrous first swim; his displacement by the next year's goslings and reinstatement after a heroic encounter with a fox; the threat of his being returned to the zoo and its eventual happy outcome, with his own flock of females. Meanwhile, the author characterizes everyone, animal or human, with his usual good-humored wit. A likable story and fine readaloud. Illustrations not seen. (Fiction. 7-11)
Pub Date: March 1, 1993
ISBN: 0786813512
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1993
We challenge anyone to read this and keep a straight face.
Four misunderstood villains endeavor to turn over a new leaf…or a new rap sheet in Blabey's frenzied romp.
As readers open the first page of this early chapter book, Mr. Wolf is right there to greet them, bemoaning his reputation. "Just because I've got BIG POINTY TEETH and RAZOR-SHARP CLAWS and I occasionally like to dress up like an OLD LADY, that doesn't mean… / … I'm a BAD GUY." To prove this very fact, Mr. Wolf enlists three equally slandered friends into the Good Guys Club: Mr. Snake (aka the Chicken Swallower), Mr. Piranha (aka the Butt Biter), and Mr. Shark (aka Jaws). After some convincing from Mr. Wolf, the foursome sets off determined to un-smirch their names (and reluctantly curbing their appetites). Although these predators find that not everyone is ready to be at the receiving end of their helpful efforts, they use all their Bad Guy know-how to manage a few hilarious good deeds. Blabey has hit the proverbial nail on the head, kissed it full on the mouth, and handed it a stick of Acme dynamite. With illustrations that startle in their manic comedy and deadpan direct address and with a narrative that follows four endearingly sardonic characters trying to push past (sometimes successfully) their fear-causing natures, this book instantly joins the classic ranks of Captain Underpants and The Stinky Cheese Man.
We challenge anyone to read this and keep a straight face. (Fiction. 7-11)Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-545-91240-2
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An endearing, deeply moving story of healing.
A runaway former shelter dog and an orphaned cheetah cub bond in friendship.
Chase the cheetah cub, grieving for her mother, is nurtured and bottle-fed by zoo employee Basma Abdallah. Finnegan the dog, injured by a fox after being chased off by his angry former owner, is found and cared for by Basma’s partner, Ryan. Warga’s gentle tale of animal comradeship focuses firmly on the experiences of each animal protagonist, letting their personalities inform the story. Finnegan’s memories of his previous home are tinged with internalized guilt after being labeled a “bad dog.” He’s amusingly food-focused and knows a bit about the world from watching television and seeing pictures in books. He dislikes cats and has opinions about rabbits and squirrels. When Basma brings Finnegan with her to work at the zoo, he overcomes his feline aversions and warms to the cub, finding her puffy baby fur and clumsiness appealing. The friendship between the creatures is warmly empathetic. Finnegan takes a benign, big-brotherly role, encouraging Chase to trust Basma’s clicker training, part of a demonstration for zoo audiences to support the Cheetah Conservation Fund. Chase, in her turn, reminds Finnegan that he’s cared for and that she’s his friend and part of his family. To’s soft, tender black-and-white illustrations perfectly complement the sweet, sometimes heart-wrenching narrative. Basma is cued Palestinian American, and Ryan reads white.
An endearing, deeply moving story of healing. (animal facts, author’s note, resources) (Fiction. 7-11)Pub Date: March 3, 2026
ISBN: 9781250387189
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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