Larded with earnest purpose but unconvincing and far from likely to be the first call for attention to America’s weight...
With a message-driven tale of a plump lad who turns over a new leaf, an ex-mayor of New York and his sister clobber readers with the Board of Education.
To judge from the contemporary dress of the figures in Hoefer’s inexpert illustrations, this isn’t intended to be autobiographical despite the main character’s name—though a breezy admission in the closing lecture that the co-authors were both "chubby" children does creates a certain resonance. Round as the apple he discards from his lunch every day, young Eddie chows down on fatty foods and avoids playground games for fear of embarrassment—until a friend tells him that he’s “a little heavy and out of shape. Maybe it’s because of the way you eat.” The next day Eddie begins asking his mom for healthier breakfasts than bagels with butter and also heads for the park to jog. A “few weeks” later he’s nimble enough to chase down a runaway baby carriage, hold his own in a playground dodgeball game and even join the school’s soccer team. Despite a seemingly simple program—eat less, cut down on the cookies, exercise regularly—will Eddie’s example prompt similar sudden epiphanies in rotund readers? Fat chance.
Larded with earnest purpose but unconvincing and far from likely to be the first call for attention to America’s weight problem that children or parents will encounter. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-60478-378-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Zagat
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Knee-slappers galore for fans of alimentary and other mildly transgressive gags.
She’s blonde, she’s pink, she’s human—and so, as the “monster” living in sluglike Morris’ closet, she’s terrifying.
In a series of independent, single-page comics originally published in French, Simard takes the well-worn monster-under-the-bed trope, turns it on its head, and adds all sorts of ooky bits. Simone can make her bug-eyed green companion—and everyone else in Simard’s simply drawn, topsy-turvy monster world—run away screaming just by bringing a cute puppy to class or cleaning house. On the other hand, she casually brushes past bats and dangling spiders and seems less grossed-out (read: delighted) than readers will be to see Morris swimming in the gooey effluent of a giant nose, watching him roll snowballs down a hill to play “zombie bowling,” or being introduced to his little brother, Farto. The emotional undercurrents are definitely less nuanced here than in, for instance, Barbara Jean Hicks’ Jitterbug Jam, illustrated by Alexis Deacon (2005), but so what, when there are zombies, a Santa-eating house, buckets of puke, and many like delicacies to savor?
Knee-slappers galore for fans of alimentary and other mildly transgressive gags. (Graphic fantasy. 6-8)Pub Date: April 15, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-77147-293-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 19, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2017
An urbane take on the “nice monster” theme.
A misfit monster comes into his own when the Abominable Academy for Brutish Beasts is invaded by a scary creature.
Sweet of voice, vegetarian, and “ridiculously photogenic,” Maurice is not only the despair of his hairy parents, but on the verge of being kicked out of school for singing when he should be roaring, dancing when he should be practicing havoc-wreaking, and sneaking alfalfa fritters into the rioting lunchroom. When a frightening invader—which is to say, a frisky small dog—sends the monstrous students and teachers into tizzies, though, Maurice tames the beast with a fritter and so earns the title of Official Creature Whisperer. Not content to rest on his laurels, he leverages this “gargantuan success” by going on to organize an a cappella group called The Barbaritones and campaign for more lunch options (“Raise Your Tail for Kale”). Just as the story celebrates differences, so do Mountford’s cartoon illustrations, which surround Maurice (a Wild Thing outtake with green skin and human facial features) with an array of fellow student monsters, no two of whom look even remotely alike.
An urbane take on the “nice monster” theme. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4549-1953-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: Aug. 6, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
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