Great fun.
A fractured fairy tale about one of the three little pigs and his brave quest to save Little Red Riding Hood’s granny from being eaten by the wicked old wolf.
The little pig (presumably the third) is living safe and secure in his snug little house when he learns that the wolf is now trying to gobble up Little Red Riding Hood’s poor old grandmother. He springs to action to save her in this lively, rhyming fairy tale mashup, racing through his magical fairy-tale village to collect items to help him on his mission. Vivid, colorful, and humorous illustrations fill every page and will engage both child and adult readers. Readers will have tremendous fun searching out all of the other fairy-tale and nursery-rhyme details hidden throughout the main story, making this an interactive experience as well as a delightful read-aloud. A man with rosy red buttocks walks serenely away from the Emporium of New Clothes dressed only in a crown; Goldilocks and a little bear get into a jolly food fight at the Fairy-Tale Fete. Children will eagerly keep turning the pages to find out what happens next and will learn that maybe granny doesn’t need much saving after all. There is great appeal here for both lovers of fairy tales and silly adventures. Despite the gobbling-up-granny theme, there are no scary images to frighten even the youngest reader. Most of the human characters are white.
Great fun. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: June 18, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-250-18603-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Godwin Books
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The kimonos in this title are shown on “creative” (non-traditional) Kokeshi that have evolved from their origins as stickers...
Kokeshi, northern Japanese wooden folk dolls, are painted with differently designed kimonos that denote the area in which they are made and form the inspiration for this pretty novelty.
The kimonos in this title are shown on “creative” (non-traditional) Kokeshi that have evolved from their origins as stickers in France. (Their images are also produced on notecards and journals.) A stilted text, translated from French, accompanies these commercialized, cartoon-like images. The glossy, heavy stock, saturated with a sophisticated palette of black, brown, maroon, bluish-gray and green, teems with kawaii kokeshi— “super cute little wooden dolls”—who talk and act like contemporary little girls. Readers are invited to find the right sash, fan and hair bow to match Kimiyo’s outfit. They locate Yumi’s apartment by lifting the flap that matches her sash. A large gate-fold page reveals Yumi’s family members and another game that involves matching designs to determine her maternal and paternal families. A schoolroom scene shows the days of the week, both in transliteration and in Japanese characters. There are more words to learn when a star (hoshi), a rabbit (usagi) and a pair of socks (tabi), among other objects, serve as inspiration for funny hairstyles that appear when a die-cut page turns.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4521-0493-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
Devoid of energy, but greeting-card pretty.
A candy-colored version of the classic tale completely lacks teeth and claws.
The three little pigs’ widowed mother sends them out into the world to make their way. The first, carrying his guitar on his back, begs a kind man for the straw he carries and builds himself a nice little house. The wolf comes by, the predictable conversation ensues and the piggy escapes. The second pig carries his brushes and papers, asks a kind man for some sticks and builds a place with an easel en plein air. The house has a convenient back door, so he too escapes when the wolf does his thing. The third pig, carrying his tools, is clearly into construction; his carefully built brick house (bricks a gift of a third kind man) is gorgeous. The wolf tries the chimney, is smoked out and runs away, the third pig collects his mom and siblings and they live happily ever after. Sunny colors and lots of cute details make for pleasant page-turning: Pig number two sits reading a version of Little Red Riding Hood in the last scene, possibly trying to track down the latest venue of the wolf.
Devoid of energy, but greeting-card pretty. (Picture book/fairy tale. 4-6)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7358-4058-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2011
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