by Eva Montanari ; illustrated by Eva Montanari ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 15, 2021
This endearing take on a common preschool scenario will make an appealing read-aloud at home or school.
Montanari presents Little Crocodile’s preschool day as a series of sounds, from the alarm’s “ring ring” to many “MUAH”s—kisses celebrating Big Crocodile’s return.
Visual cues disclose Little Crocodile’s increasing anxiety as they “hup hup” up the stairs to the classroom door, where a bespectacled caregiving elephant greets them. The multispecies playmates oink, meow, tweet, and ribbit; the “wolf says aroooo!” Except for the fact that these children are all animals, it’s an instantly familiar scene. “And what does Little Crocodile say? // WWWWAAH / WWWWAAH”—a meltdown sure to resonate with grown-ups galore. Many sounds (all conveyed in the author/illustrator’s hand lettering) are familiarly represented: the “splash” of water in the sink, the “vroom vroom” of the car. Refreshing additions include the zipper’s “zzzt,” the “bleep” of the car’s keyless lock, and the group lunch’s “nom nom nom.” Montanari’s simple crayon drawings tenderly telegraph the elephant’s expertise in easing Little Crocodile’s transition to the preschool setting. Cuddled on teacher’s lap for storytime, followed by some “rat-a-tat”-ting on a big drum, the croc is soon leading the line of trumpet-playing children. As the “nap goes ZZZ ZZZ,” the little ones, zonked, sprawl in an amusing array of positions. Big Crocodile’s arrival and a farewell “see you tomorrow!” wrap up an emotionally—and aurally—rich day.
This endearing take on a common preschool scenario will make an appealing read-aloud at home or school. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 15, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7352-6813-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
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by Jimmy Fallon ; illustrated by Miguel Ordóñez ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 9, 2015
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.
A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.
A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
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SEEN & HEARD
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 22, 2019
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends.
Is it a stormy-night scare or a bedtime book? Both!
Little Blue Truck and his good friend Toad are heading home when a storm lets loose. Before long, their familiar, now very nervous barnyard friends (Goat, Hen, Goose, Cow, Duck, and Pig) squeeze into the garage. Blue explains that “clouds bump and tumble in the sky, / but here inside we’re warm and dry, / and all the thirsty plants below / will get a drink to help them grow!” The friends begin to relax. “Duck said, loud as he could quack it, / ‘THUNDER’S JUST A NOISY RACKET!’ ” In the quiet after the storm, the barnyard friends are sleepy, but the garage is not their home. “ ‘Beep!’ said Blue. ‘Just hop inside. / All aboard for the bedtime ride!’ ” Young readers will settle down for their own bedtimes as Blue and Toad drop each friend at home and bid them a good night before returning to the garage and their own beds. “Blue gave one small sleepy ‘Beep.’ / Then Little Blue Truck fell fast asleep.” Joseph’s rich nighttime-blue illustrations (done “in the style of [series co-creator] Jill McElmurry”) highlight the power of the storm and capture the still serenity that follows. Little Blue Truck has been chugging along since 2008, but there seems to be plenty of gas left in the tank.
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-328-85213-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
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