A friend offers a perfect gift in this brief import. When Gus confesses that he’s not looking forward to his upcoming birthday party, since he’ll have to endure the attentions of a gaggle of loud, overbearing relatives, his friend Boris suggests a quick fishing trip instead. While the aforementioned relatives gather to make merry, and barely notice that the guest of honor isn’t present, Gus and Boris sit peacefully at a stream’s edge, chowing down on a luscious-looking cake. Gerritsen casts big, rumpled-looking bears for all the parts here, and gives the tale a homey woodland setting decorated with balloons, banners, and party detritus. Young readers with a yen for peace and quiet will identify with gloomy Gus, wish for a friend like Boris, and be charmed by the goofy protagonists. Now, on to Frog and Toad. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: April 30, 2003
ISBN: 1-886910-89-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2003
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A wombat, American readers will learn, is an adorable round creature that looks something like a small, pointy-eared bear and likes to sleep. It also has enormous claws, a prodigious appetite, and an unshakable determination to get what it wants. This imperturbable specimen keeps a diary that keenly describes her daily excitements: “Monday. Morning: Slept. Afternoon: Slept. Evening: Ate grass. Scratched. Night: Ate grass. Slept.” When new neighbors move in and prove to be an excellent source of carrots, the diary’s list expands to reveal the lengths this wombat will go (“Chewed hole in door”) to ensure a steady stream of the treat. Whatley’s acrylic vignettes, arranged sequentially across the spreads, are set against a generous white background and provide the perfect counterpoint to French’s deadpan narration. The tortured outline of a garbage can says it all when paired with, “Banged on large metal object till carrots appeared.” The level of irony involved requires sophisticated readers, but they will laugh out loud at the wombat’s antics—and breathe sighs of relief that she’s not their neighbor. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2003
ISBN: 0-618-38136-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2003
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Gives “friend” a disquieting nuance.
On the spur of the moment, anyone can make a mistake.
In a twist on Eric Carle’s classic Do You Want to Be My Friend? (1971) and the many like-themed quests trailing in its wake, a suddenly friendless yellow monster makes the titular confession, mourns, and then goes in search of a new companion. Following a string of refusals that range from “No, you are too big,” and “No, you are too scary” (not to mention a terse “No”) to a terrifying, page filling “Rrrooar!” the monster begins to lose heart. Will it be lonely forever? But, no fears, a suitable (teal) candidate sidles up at last: “Hello! I will be your friend.” Cue the warm smiles and clasped paws…until a page turn reveals only the new arrival, guiltily admitting, “I just ate my friend.” Arranged in simple compositions and positioned for maximum comic effect, McKinnon’s monsters don’t look at all feral (although the protagonist does have a mouthful of sharp teeth, they are very tiny, commanding much less attention than its large, googly eyes and potato-shaped body), so the summary fate of the yellow one may come as a surprise (at least the first time through) to audiences who expect a more-conventional ending. Readers who prefer their comedy on the dark side à la Jon Klassen’s I Want My Hat Back (2011) or Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross’ Tadpole’s Promise (2005) will relish this alternative outcome.
Gives “friend” a disquieting nuance. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: June 26, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5344-1032-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 18, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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