Both an uproarious read-aloud and an entertaining primer for aspiring authors.
In this follow-up to Giraffe Is Too Tall for This Book (2023), five characters go in search of a story.
Giraffe, Flamingo, Mouse, Cheetah, Elephant, and Snake gaze at the blank pages of a book. “What should we do?” Giraffe asks. Snake suggests writing a story. It’s a daunting prospect—the blank page holds terror even for animals—but all agree to collaborate. The pals brainstorm words (“KINDNESS!” “PEANUTS!”) before telling a story, sentence by sentence. Their tale follows a courageous Mouse, who sails off in search of a mountain made from cheese, and though Cheetah points out that Mouse doesn’t know how to sail, Snake wisely replies, “Anything can happen in a story.” The left side of each spread depicts the friends as they discuss and critique various plot points, while the right side shows the developing story, which often requires audience participation. Readers are asked to shake the book to make an underground volcano erupt and to tilt it to help Elephant swim faster, and it’s the audience’s actions that bring their story to a climax. Or does it? Set against stark white pages, the endearing, big-eyed animals all have a stuffed-animal sweetness, while color-coded speech bubbles and inspired page layouts make following the narrative easy. Ryland offers would-be writers enough structure to get started while also giving them space to flex their creative muscles—and permission to get goofy.
Both an uproarious read-aloud and an entertaining primer for aspiring authors. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 18, 2025
ISBN: 9798890031631
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Page Street
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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