Stoll’s signature paper-collaged mice return with another cheerful exposition for preschoolers. This time, a trio—Fred, Violet and Martin—elude the cat by hiding in a pile of bright shapes. Once the threat subsides, the mice manipulate the shapes, chatting it up in a plainspoken play-by-play nicely pitched for young children: “We can make things with them. Here’s a square. A triangle on top makes it a perfect house for a little mouse.” No sooner do they depict the cat (exercising plenty of artistic license with color and the size of the triangular teeth) than the real beast sends them scurrying again. To turn the tables, they construct “three big scary mice” (clearly crafted to amuse, not frighten preschoolers) dispatching the cat. Stoll’s colorful collages appear within white rectangles bordered in black. The crisp layout and well-chosen typography align this volume with Stoll’s earlier concept books, Mouse Paint (1989) and Mouse Count (1991). This welcome addition should inspire both kids and grown-ups to create their own shape stories. (Picture book. 2-7)
Pub Date: July 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-15-206091-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2007
Encouraging.
Persistence pays off for a piglet.
Frustrations, depicted in a series of vignettes, overwhelm a young pig when success seems constantly out of reach, or “not yet.” Not yet ready to bike without training wheels, not yet tall enough for the roller coaster, not yet old enough for the baseball team, not yet in tune on the violin. Even the pancakes aren’t ready to flip. “YET, YET, YET!” wails the piglet. “How do I get to YET?” the piglet asks a grown-up pig in a purple tunic. The instructive response, that things improve, often with practice, is delivered in a rhymed text that goes down easy: “The path to YET / is not a straight line. / It takes growing and doing, / patience and time.” A few more vignettes demonstrate that there will be challenges along the way: Arithmetic problems go awry, spelling means mistakes, knitting is tricky, and watercolor painting drips. “You’ll get sad and angry, / but don’t you quit— / you have power and courage, / and that’s called GRIT.” Cocca-Leffler’s art is lighthearted, and the activities of the child pig will be familiar to most. The value of a growth mindset—working toward small goals, waiting for the right time, and learning patience and resilience—is indisputable. Though the coaching advice here feels slightly formulaic and the rhymed delivery echoes similarly inspirational offerings, the piglet is winsomely appealing and the accomplishments within reach of the audience. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 37.3% of actual size.)
Encouraging. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4197-4003-9
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
Roller-coaster enthusiasts or not, children will eagerly join our intrepid hero on this entertaining ride.
The Pigeon is on an emotional—and physical—roller coaster.
Since learning about the existence of roller coasters, he’s become giddy with excitement. The Pigeon prepares mentally: He’ll need a ticket and “exemplary patience” to wait in line. He envisions zooming up and down and careening through dizzying turns and loops. Then, he imagines his emotions afterward: exhilaration, post-ride blues, pride at having accomplished such a feat, and enthusiasm at the prospect of riding again. (He’ll also feel dizzy and nauseous.) All this before the Pigeon ever sets claw on an actual coaster. So…will he really try it? Are roller coasters fun? When the moment comes, everything seems to go according to plan: waiting in line, settling into the little car, THEN—off he goes! Though the ride itself isn’t quite what the Pigeon expected, it will delight readers. Wearing his feelings on his wing and speaking directly to the audience in first person, the Pigeon describes realistic thoughts and emotions about waiting and guessing about the unknown—common childhood experiences. No sentiment is misplaced; kids will relate to Pigeon’s eagerness and apprehension. The ending falls somewhat flat, but the whole humorous point is that an underwhelming adventure can still be thrilling enough to warrant repeating. Willems’ trademark droll illustrations will have readers giggling. The roller-coaster attendant is light-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Roller-coaster enthusiasts or not, children will eagerly join our intrepid hero on this entertaining ride. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-4549-4686-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2022
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