Itsy Mitsy may be teeny tiny, but she has BIG issues with bedtime. Donning a dinosaur playsuit and driving goggles and straddling her trusty tricycle, she declares definitively, “No more bedtime. I’m gone.” Each time she heads for the door, though, Dad asks a simple question that complicates her runaway plan, leading her to gather up more and more stuff to take along. These necessities (food for Mister Roar the dinosaur, Puptart the guard dog, a lamp so the doggy can see) quickly accumulate, piling up into a catchy chorus that repeats throughout. "She packed a lamp / to light up her pup / to bark at the beasts / to guard the snack / that she had packed / for friendliest dinosaur, / Mister Roar." Each additional item offers another opportunity for readers to giddily recite Mitsy’s litany. Whether on a lap or in storytime, children will feel the pull of loose rhyme, pleasing momentum and mounting ridiculousness. Soon Mitsy’s got the whole house on her little shoulders and Dad teetering on top. Varied layouts, full of effective flourishes (ornate Victorian speech bubbles, round and rectangular inset scenes, reappearing imaginary bedtime beasties) highlight Mitsy’s panache and her father’s gentle manipulations. The irresistible tug of clever language combines with visual pizzazz to make this runaway story a runaway hit. (Picture book. 2-6)
Pub Date: May 3, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0671-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Reading this book is a good idea.
A lovely package of a picture book about siblings and sharing, birthdays and toys.
Ben loves to play with his toy robot, to the point where he seems oblivious to his little sister Alice’s love for him. He refuses to play with her and her doll, saying, “No dolls allowed. This is a robot game.” Forlorn but not dissuaded, Alice devises a plan that ends up getting Ben’s attention: She requests a new Roboy 2000 for her upcoming birthday. Jealous, Ben surreptitiously unwraps her gift and plays with it, which is a bad idea. He mistakenly breaks it before the guests arrive for her party and then quickly hides it away where no one can see it. Wracked with guilt, Ben eventually confesses his misdeed, and then he generously gives Alice his own robot to replace her broken one. While this arises as an idealistically easy and swift resolution, the expressive, cartoonish graphite, gouache and colored-pencil illustrations support the believability of the characters’ actions and reactions. Ben looks truly distraught when his father asks, “Where is the family’s gift?” and Alice is lovingly forgiving and eager to play with her brother when he makes amends.
Reading this book is a good idea. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-449-81331-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 24, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Pass on this muddled effort.
A young giraffe repeatedly lands in dangerous situations when his curiosity gets the best of him.
Concerned mama giraffe knows many threats exist on the African savanna, but her little Twiga ("giraffe" in Swahili) “is so curious.” The “tall, tall mama…leans close and whispers a warning, / No, little Twiga. Stay close, stay safe.” Twiga’s keen senses prove irresistible. He hears music in a thorny tree, sees sparkly water and smells the delicious fruit of the sausage tree. Each time he approaches the attractive object, a predator or serious discomfort—hyena, stinging ants, crocodile, cheetah—looms near. The clueless Twiga always manages to move onto the next pursuit just in time. Mama giraffe is often shown in the background looking worried. But Twiga, other than in the moment the ants crawl onto his nose, never learns the important lesson that being careful will surely save his life. Somehow all is forgiven after Twiga grabs the sweet fruit and returns to his mama…at least until the next time. Overall there are many elements that seem off: the contradictory message, the sometimes-precious tone of the text and the disconnect between the textual description of the setting and what is shown in Wohnoutka’s illustrations. The text describes “tall brown grass” and a “dusty plain,” but the full-bleed spreads show mostly lush green landscapes dotted with flowers.
Pass on this muddled effort. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: March 13, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4231-3482-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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