Caldecott winner McCully’s latest effort is a wordless book in which a family of barnyard kittens explores its surroundings while they wait for Mama to feed them. The caring family dog looks after them when their explorations lead to trouble. Hungry, two of them fall into the milk can and a predatory bird threatens all of them when they venture outdoors. But the watchful dog’s barking scares the bird, alerts the farmer, and brings attention to the fact that mother cat cannot reach her babies because she is locked in a storeroom. The dog even offers the kittens a bone when he realizes they are hungry. The happy ending sees Mama’s release from the storeroom with a mouse for kitties’ meal and then a cozy snuggle for all, including the dog. This pleasant story about caring relationships lacks a strong illustrative narrative. The cat-family relationship is not clearly established before the action takes place. Mother cat appears in the frontispiece with the kittens, but when the story begins after the title page, there is no indication that she is out hunting food for them. McCully’s watercolors, particularly those depicting the barn are dark, making it difficult to discern the details. The movement back and forth from the adventures of the kittens to the actions of the mother cat could be confusing. A nice story, but one that may need lots of prompting from adults for the young child to “read” by herself. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-8037-2505-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2001
For patient listeners, a fun visit to a mixed-up barnyard.
When a fierce wind descends on the barnyard, the animals hear some odd noises…and they’re coming from their own mouths.
The sudden wind unsettles all the animals on the farm just when they should be getting ready for sleep. Instead, they anxiously “cheep” and “cluck” and “oink” and “quack” and “moooo.” They shift nervously, pull together, and make all sorts of noises. All except Turtle, who tucks into his shell under an old log and sleeps. In the morning, though, the animals get a surprise. Pig says, “Cluck”; the Little Chicks say, “Neigh”; Horse crows, “Cock-a-doodle-doo.” How will they get their proper sounds back? Turtle has an idea, and he enjoys the process so much that he decides to open his mouth the next time the wind plays tricks at the farm: Perhaps he’ll catch a sound all his own. Chua’s cartoon barnyard is bright, and her animals, expressive, their faces and body language slightly anthropomorphized. The edges of the figures sometimes betray their digital origins. Though the tale is humorous and will give lots of opportunity for practicing animal sounds, the audience is hard to pin down, as the young children sure to enjoy mooing and clucking may not have the patience to sit through the somewhat lengthy text.
For patient listeners, a fun visit to a mixed-up barnyard. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: March 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-8075-8735-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2019
An amusing introduction to the long-standing diversion of hide-and-seek books.
A young bear learns the nuance of blending into a crowd when playing a game of hide-and-seek.
Much like any naïve 3-year-old, Fergus, a brown bear with round, black eyeglasses, must first understand the concept of hiding. Whether out in the open or next to or behind a slender tree, Fergus is told he is easily found and must try again. The continual voice of the speaker is that of a kind, patient instructor as Fergus follows directions, presents various choices for hiding places, and works to improve strategy. “We’re going to help you,” says the narrator. “Start by hiding in a crowd.” In a group of small squirrels and rabbits, Fergus easily stands out, as he also does in crowds of large elephants or polar bears. Hiding among moose while sporting tree-branch antlers doesn’t quite do it either. Finally, Fergus, willing to keep at it, is able to successfully find concealment among a bunch of brown bears wearing a variety of facial expressions. Simple, black-line drawings augment Fergus’ efforts through each encouraging directive. Having mastered the idea, Fergus then hides within a large, diversified animal crowd splayed across a double gatefold to create a Where’s Waldo–like challenge featuring all the previous characters together. For the ultimate seek-and-find activity Fergus then challenges readers to search within the gatefold for a long list of items. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-17-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size; double gatefold viewed at 50% of actual size.)
An amusing introduction to the long-standing diversion of hide-and-seek books. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Nov. 3, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-984849-02-1
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2020
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