Silly Tilly is the farm comedian, entertaining all the animals with her goosey, goofy behavior. “She wore a pancake as a hat. / She tried to ride the farmer’s cat. / She kissed a fish. Imagine that!” But sometime after she sits on and squashes Rooster’s birthday cake, the other farmyard animals get fed up and tell Tilly Goose to end all her silliness: “No more naps in Scarecrow’s pants! / No packing piglet off to France. / No yodels at the Harvest Dance!” Weeks later, a very quiet and sedate farm has stopped laughing. “It’s dullsville on the farm. No fun!” Apologies are expressed “with quacks and oinks and heartfelt sighs,” and soon Silly Tilly’s back to her foolishness and the much-missed jovial atmosphere is restored. Slonim’s expressive cartoon-style paintings rendered in acrylic, pencil and ballpoint pen on linen actively complement Spinelli’s humorous triads, reveling in the ridiculous absurdity. A surefire hit for storytime and shared reading sessions. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: March 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-7614-5525-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2009
A simple counting rhyme relates the tale of a frog who eats his way through the bog: one tick, two fleas, three flies, and so on. Eventually, he gets so fat that the “log” upon which he sits takes notice and reveals itself to be a hungry alligator. The frog’s panicked scream allows the contents of his tummy to escape, and out they come, from five snails, to four slugs, back down to the one tiny tick. The appropriately folksy text is nicely complemented by pale, splashy watercolors that evoke the swampy setting perfectly. Frog, fleas, flies, and the other “meals” learn a gentle lesson—the smallest ones stay away from the frog, who therefore stays small enough himself that the gator won’t pay him any attention. Since the counting only goes up and down to five and everyone is safe at the end, this is especially suitable for the youngest beginning counters. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-689-84081-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2003
Cats and water may not usually mix, but this pleasing combination yields a fur-tunate lesson.
A feline who’s vehemently opposed to swimming has a change of perspective.
“Nice and warm and dry.” That’s Serafina! While her friends enjoy prancing in puddles on rainy days, this little kitten is more than content to play indoors. She “hates, loathes, DESPISES WATER.” All well and good until “The Powers That Be” (aka her parents) declare swimming lessons mandatory. Wholly convinced she can still get out of swim class, Serafina is aghast when her cherished stuffed bunny, Noodles, is accidentally knocked into the water. While rescuing her beloved, however, Serafina discovers that she adores the sensation of water after all. Now she’s a complete convert and a “vision of glistening PURR-FECTION!” Disgust could not find a worthier muse than Serafina, and Rosenthal’s digital illustrations adeptly play up her utter horror as well as her miraculous conversion to all things damp. That said, the true star of the show is the book’s loquacious text. Burgess plumbs Serafina’s inherent repugnance for water with delectable phrases, describing a pool as “a disgusting pit of seething water.” So delicious is her revulsion that it’s almost a pity when she takes that extra step and tries something new.
Cats and water may not usually mix, but this pleasing combination yields a fur-tunate lesson. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 31, 2026
ISBN: 9780593699638
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2026
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