A winning combo of easy-to-draw figures and a wacky, interactive storyline with a subtle emotional point.
An inevitable and much-anticipated follow-up to the team’s How To Draw a Happy Cat (2022).
“Chickens are known for being…well…chicken,” an unseen narrator admits, “but follow these instructions and you can draw a brave chicken.” Simple directions ensue: an oval for the chicken’s body, dots for her eyes. Uh-oh. A frightened Chicken hides behind a pail. Giving her a knight’s suit of armor and a horse will make her look brave; the narrator explains how to draw these items. Then a dragon arrives. What will make Chicken feel brave? Friends on a trampoline can help (among them Cat, the hero of Berlin and Matison’s earlier book). The dragon flies off, and, feeling courageous, Chicken wants to pursue. She asks for a rocket ship, which the narrator initially rejects. But when Chicken begins crying, the narrator quickly agrees. A rocket ship takes the friends to the moon, where the ravenous dragon awaits. Chicken proposes a creative solution: drawing an ice cream truck. Bits of bright color enhance the action, while Chicken’s path to bravery will gently bolster many young readers. Matison’s firm linework and clear steps make replicating his charmingly childlike drawings look doable, inviting kids to try. It’s a blast, and as the narrative concludes, Chicken has proof that she’s brave—but now her pal Dog is hiding under the pail. Stay tuned.
A winning combo of easy-to-draw figures and a wacky, interactive storyline with a subtle emotional point. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2024
ISBN: 9781662640643
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Hippo Park/Astra Books for Young Readers
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted...
Reinvention is the name of the game for two blobs of clay.
A blue-eyed gray blob and a brown-eyed brown blob sit side by side, unsure as to what’s going to happen next. The gray anticipates an adventure, while the brown appears apprehensive. A pair of hands descends, and soon, amid a flurry of squishing and prodding and poking and sculpting, a handsome gray wolf and a stately brown owl emerge. The hands disappear, leaving the friends to their own devices. The owl is pleased, but the wolf convinces it that the best is yet to come. An ear pulled here and an extra eye placed there, and before you can shake a carving stick, a spurt of frenetic self-exploration—expressed as a tangled black scribble—reveals a succession of smug hybrid beasts. After all, the opportunity to become a “pig-e-phant” doesn’t come around every day. But the sound of approaching footsteps panics the pair of Picassos. How are they going to “fix [them]selves” on time? Soon a hippopotamus and peacock are staring bug-eyed at a returning pair of astonished hands. The creative naiveté of the “clay mates” is perfectly captured by Petty’s feisty, spot-on dialogue: “This was your idea…and it was a BAD one.” Eldridge’s endearing sculpted images are photographed against the stark white background of an artist’s work table to great effect.
The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted fun of their own . (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 20, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-316-30311-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader!
Fun with friends makes for a great day.
Norbit, a salmon-colored worm with a pink kerchief, joyfully greets the day and everyone he encounters. “Hello, friends! It’s time for fun with the sun! Let’s play!” He and his menagerie of forest pals—including the sun, who grows limbs and descends from the sky—exuberantly engage in various forms of physical activity such as jumping, going down a slide, spinning around, and watching the clouds go by. Young readers will readily relate, as these are games that most children are familiar with. As day turns to night, Norbit says farewell to Sun and welcomes Moon with an invitation to continue the fun. Watkins has created a vivid world of movement and merriment. Her illustrations feature bright bursts of color that match the energy of the text, with most sentences ending in an exclamation point. The author/illustrator incorporates many elements that make for an ideal early-reading experience (despite the use of a contraction or two): art free from clutter, text consisting of words with only one or two syllables, and repetition and recurring bits, such as a continued game of hide-and-seek with Sun. Inspired by never-before-seen sketches from the Dr. Seuss Collection archives at the University of California San Diego, this is the first title for Seuss Studios, a new imprint for original stories from “emerging authors and illustrators” who “honor Seuss’s hallmark spirit of creativity and imagination.”
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader! (author's note) (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780593646212
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Seuss Studios
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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