A delightful tale that invites interpretation and almost demands giggles at the antics of the expressive chick and puppy.
A newly hatched chick befriends a beagle puppy in this humorous, wordless picture book set outdoors on a farm.
The baby chick, identified as Pip in the title, hatches on the first page, emerging over the course of a series of six vignettes in a progressive illustration that sets the tone for the amusing expressions on the faces of the two main characters throughout the story. Pip immediately looks for a companion and spies a beagle puppy sleeping under a tractor. What happens when a chick pecks at a sleeping dog’s nose? Pup explodes with loud barks, and Pip runs right back to safety in the empty eggshell halves. There Pip shelters during a sudden thunderstorm. Pup is afraid of the thunder, so Pip offers one half of the eggshell as a rain hat for Pup. The two characters begin to play with the shells, and friendship and morning dawn at the same time. When Pup accidentally shatters the eggshells, the dog fetches a green ball, rolling it to Pip in a friendly gesture. The concluding page is open-ended, with Pip standing next to the ball, conveying possibilities that await readers’ interpretation (or a sequel). Charmingly varied illustrations with soft, cheery colors and speckled textures display a gamut of emotions from abject loneliness to blissful companionship.
A delightful tale that invites interpretation and almost demands giggles at the antics of the expressive chick and puppy. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: April 24, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-62779-394-0
Page Count: 37
Publisher: Godwin Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 18, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2018
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There’s nothing especially new here, but the good-natured celebration of books, reading, and libraries will charm fellow...
A porcine hoarder of books learns to read—and to share.
The Book Hog’s obsession is clear from the start. Short declarative sentences describe his enthusiasm (“The Book Hog loved books”), catalog the things he likes about the printed page, and eventually reveal his embarrassing secret (“He didn’t know how to read”). While the text is straightforward, plenty of amusing visual details will entertain young listeners. A picture of the Book Hog thumbing through a book while seated on the toilet should induce some giggles. The allusive name of a local bookshop (“Wilbur’s”) as well as the covers of a variety of familiar and much-loved books (including some of the author’s own) offer plenty to pore over. And the fact that the titles become legible only after our hero learns to read is a particularly nice touch. A combination of vignettes, single-page illustrations and double-page spreads that feature Pizzoli’s characteristic style—heavy black outlines, a limited palette of mostly salmon and mint green, and simple shapes—move the plot along briskly. Librarians will appreciate the positive portrayal of Miss Olive, an elephant who welcomes the Book Hog warmly to storytime, though it’s unlikely most will be able to match her superlative level of service.
There’s nothing especially new here, but the good-natured celebration of books, reading, and libraries will charm fellow bibliophiles, and the author’s fans will enjoy making another anthropomorphic animal friend. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 26, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-368-03689-4
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Nov. 11, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2018
This catch is fumbled.
Having attempted to catch the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, and the Gingerbread Man, a group of kids set their sights on a groundhog.
After two score and counting How To Catch books, this latest addition suggests that there’s nothing left to capture. The verses are feeble (“But I’m chilled to my bones deep inside / I feel the wind across my backside”), while the illustrations are mundane. On one page, a child crouches in a drift eating “stick cheese” (apparently because it rhymes with “trees”). Another catches a football thrown by a friend but falls across a stone slab, breaking it in two. Far below, the anthropomorphic groundhog’s breakfast is disturbed; his cup, saucer, creamer, and sugar bowl are jostled. “Tomorrow is his big holiday,” the children note. “Will a shadow fall outside the den? / We need him to answer this riddle: / we know winter ends but not when.” Ultimately, though the intrepid hunters set a series of traps, they’re disappointed to catch only a rabbit. The groundhog, it turns out, is hibernating in an elaborate wrought iron bed. On the very next page, the mayor holds up the beast. How was he caught, then? We don’t know. What was his verdict on winter’s duration? We don’t know. Will the series ever stop? We can only hope. Human characters are diverse.
This catch is fumbled. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Dec. 10, 2024
ISBN: 9781728293035
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2024
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BOOK REVIEW
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