Momo’s sick of smooches. “It goes on everywhere, all over the place,” he observes. “Especially mommies kissing babies.” Disgusted, the little monkey mounts an anti-kissing campaign. But it doesn’t make much difference; as he parades through the jungle holding a sign that says “No More Kissing!,” an anteater, wild boar, and rhino all try to lay one on him. His family is even worse, greeting one another, saying goodnight, and bidding goodbye with one kiss after another. So when his baby brother arrives, Momo knows what to expect. What takes him by surprise is what happens when he tries to soothe baby’s cry. As Momo explains, “ . . . a weird thing happened, by mistake I think. I kissed him.” Rendered in a lush, tropical palette, Clark’s (Roman Myths, p. 644, etc.) illustrations are redolent with detail. The opening spread depicts a mystified Momo sitting in a tree as the toucans and snakes, ducks and lions, butterflies and flamingos below show their affection. Later, Momo stands on a stool and declares his edict to his extended family. On the next page, humorous vignettes show him recoiling and running away from their persistent embrace. A series of smaller sketches show him producing toys, making faces, and juggling bananas as the baby kicks and cries. But the final illustration shows Momo holding his baby brother while the mother monkeys behind him quietly cheer. Says Momo of the kiss: “It was lucky no one was looking.” A sweet story sure to resonate with preschooler’s and parents everywhere. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-385-74619-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Rylant (Henry and Mudge and the Sneaky Crackers, 1998, etc.) slips into a sentimental mode for this latest outing of the boy and his dog, as she sends Mudge and Henry and his parents off on a camping trip. Each character is attended to, each personality sketched in a few brief words: Henry's mother is the camping veteran with outdoor savvy; Henry's father doesn't know a tent stake from a marshmallow fork, but he's got a guitar for campfire entertainment; and the principals are their usual ready-for-fun selves. There are sappy moments, e.g., after an evening of star- gazing, Rylant sends the family off to bed with: ``Everyone slept safe and sound and there were no bears, no scares. Just the clean smell of trees . . . and wonderful green dreams.'' With its nice tempo, the story is as toasty as its campfire and swaddled in Stevenson's trusty artwork. (Fiction. 6-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-689-81175-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1998
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with...
Reynolds and Brown have crafted a Halloween tale that balances a really spooky premise with the hilarity that accompanies any mention of underwear.
Jasper Rabbit needs new underwear. Plain White satisfies him until he spies them: “Creepy underwear! So creepy! So comfy! They were glorious.” The underwear of his dreams is a pair of radioactive-green briefs with a Frankenstein face on the front, the green color standing out all the more due to Brown’s choice to do the entire book in grayscale save for the underwear’s glowing green…and glow they do, as Jasper soon discovers. Despite his “I’m a big rabbit” assertion, that glow creeps him out, so he stuffs them in the hamper and dons Plain White. In the morning, though, he’s wearing green! He goes to increasing lengths to get rid of the glowing menace, but they don’t stay gone. It’s only when Jasper finally admits to himself that maybe he’s not such a big rabbit after all that he thinks of a clever solution to his fear of the dark. Brown’s illustrations keep the backgrounds and details simple so readers focus on Jasper’s every emotion, writ large on his expressive face. And careful observers will note that the underwear’s expression also changes, adding a bit more creep to the tale.
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with Dr. Seuss’ tale of animate, empty pants. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Aug. 22, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0298-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
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