Unrewarding sentiment.
An upside-down take on a classic tale.
There are three pig siblings, a parental challenge, and questions about housing stability. But in this inverted tale, the three pigs’ father decides that he wants to go off to see the world and will leave the family home to whichever one of his children can “fill it up.” He, unfairly, never defines what it means to fill a house, so the eldest pig brother, muscly Mo, tries to fill it with straw, and the fashion-obsessed middle brother, Bo, tries to fill it with feathers. Cozy images of smiling anthropomorphic brown pigs depict their attempts. When those materials settle, leaving a gap below the roof, the youngest sister, Prak (short for Practical), tries her hoof. She throws a goodbye party for Poppa Pig, filling the house with merriment, and these intangibles seem to do the trick. Unnecessary clunky rhymes, like “I’ll fill the house! / Fill it up fine! / When I fill the house, / it will be mine” and “I filled the house / without straw or a feather / If you want to fill a house / celebrate together,” pound home the heavy-handed message that friendship and family are important. Though Poppa Pig declares Prak the winner, the three siblings inherit the house together after she selflessly points out that they had already filled the house with memories. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Unrewarding sentiment. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2023
ISBN: 9781682635650
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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