by Eileen Spinelli & illustrated by Anne Kennedy ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2011
When the nurse offers some healthy recipes and the students brainstorm a few fun exercises for recess, everyone gets in on...
In her fourth outing, when Miss Fox notices sleepy students, rumbly tummies and huffs and puffs at recess, she realizes that her class needs some help getting into better shape.
When the nurse offers some healthy recipes and the students brainstorm a few fun exercises for recess, everyone gets in on the action—the principal, the custodian and even the kids’ families. Soon the children are giving each other ideas. When Bear tells the class that he can’t sleep after watching Robo-Lobster, his friends list some things he can do instead of watching television. Squirrel shares his healthy snack with Mouse so she won’t eat candy. And it’s not long before Raccoon finds a solution to Frog’s sleep troubles. All the hard work pays off on Field Day, when Miss Fox’s class comes in first, but even better is the increased energy and good feelings they all have enjoyed because of their efforts. As in earlier installments, Miss Fox’s students embrace change almost too easily to be believable, and Spinelli glosses over the difficult work that goes into changing habits. Kennedy’s cast of anthropomorphized animals is comprised of an appealing range of emotions and attitudes, while the endpapers give readers a few more ways to get into better shape.Pub Date: July 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-8075-5171-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2011
Share your opinion of this book
More by Eileen Spinelli
BOOK REVIEW
by Eileen Spinelli ; illustrated by Ekaterina Trukhan
BOOK REVIEW
by Eileen Spinelli ; illustrated by Rogério Coelho
BOOK REVIEW
by Dori Hillestad Butler ; illustrated by Kevan Atteberry ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 12, 2020
An effective early chapter book conveyed in a slightly overdone gag.
Epistolary dispatches from the eternal canine/feline feud.
Simon the cat is angry. He had done a good job taking care of his boy, Andy, but now that Andy’s parents are divorced, a dog named Baxter has moved into Andy’s dad’s house. Simon believes that there isn’t enough room in Andy’s life for two furry friends, so he uses the power of the pen to get Baxter to move out. Inventively for the early-chapter-book format, the story is told in letters written back and forth; Simon’s are impeccably spelled on personalized stationery while Baxter’s spelling slowly improves through the letters he scrawls on scraps of paper. A few other animals make appearances—a puffy-lipped goldfish who for some reason punctuates her letter with “Blub…blub…” seems to be the only female character (cued through stereotypical use of eyelashes and red lipstick), and a mustachioed snail ferries the mail to and fro. White-appearing Andy is seen playing with both animals as a visual background to the text, as is his friend Noah (a dark-skinned child who perhaps should not be nicknamed “N Man”). Cat lovers will appreciate Simon’s prickliness while dog aficionados will likely enjoy Baxter’s obtuse enthusiasm, and all readers will learn about the time and patience it takes to overcome conflict and jealousy with someone you dislike.
An effective early chapter book conveyed in a slightly overdone gag. (Fiction. 6-8)Pub Date: May 12, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4492-2
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
Share your opinion of this book
More by Dori Hillestad Butler
BOOK REVIEW
by Dori Hillestad Butler ; illustrated by Kevan Atteberry
BOOK REVIEW
by Dori Hillestad Butler ; illustrated by Nancy Meyers
BOOK REVIEW
by Dori Hillestad Butler ; illustrated by Tim Budgen
by Jan Thomas ; illustrated by Jan Thomas ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 6, 2017
Silly reads for new readers to dig into.
A turnip-loving duck and its friends defend their garden.
Alas, the duck, sheep, dog, and donkey immediately discover the eponymous pest in the garden when it (a groundhog?) eats a row of beans. The duck is frantic that turnips are next, but instead the pest eats the sheep’s favorite crop: corn. Peas occupy the next row, and the pest gobbles them up, too. Instead of despairing, however, the donkey cries, “Yippee! He ate ALL THE PEAS!” and catching the others’ puzzled looks, continues, “I don’t like peas.” After this humorous twist, the only uneaten row is sown with turnips, and the duck leaps to devour them before the pest can do so. In a satisfying, funny conclusion, the duck beams when the dog, sheep, and donkey resolve to plant a new garden and protect it with a fence, only to find out that it will exclude not just the groundhog, but the duck, too. A companion release, What Is Chasing Duck?, has the same brand of humor and boldly outlined figures rendered in a bright palette, but its storyline doesn’t come together as well since it’s unclear why the duck is scared and why the squirrel that was chasing it doesn’t recognize the others when they turn and chase him at book’s end.
Silly reads for new readers to dig into. (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: June 6, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-544-94165-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
Share your opinion of this book
More In The Series
by Jan Thomas ; illustrated by Jan Thomas
More by Jan Thomas
BOOK REVIEW
by Jan Thomas ; illustrated by Jan Thomas
BOOK REVIEW
by Jan Thomas ; illustrated by Jan Thomas
BOOK REVIEW
by Jan Thomas ; illustrated by Jan Thomas
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.