Good intentions don’t compensate for a heavy-handed approach in this latest effort to teach kids about the perils of obesity. Bunting’s brief text plays out primarily in simple declarative sentences that appear as dialogue, thought balloons and the occasional description of straightforward action. When freckle-faced Carson takes his dog to the vet, she points out that Jack is too heavy and prescribes more exercise and less food. For some inexplicable reason, while Jack slims down, Carson bulks up on pizza, soda pop and the like, so that by the end of the month he’s the one in need of intervention. Rex’s flat, cartoon-style illustrations emphasize the blunt, unadorned style of the text but do little to flesh out the cardboard characters. Bright colors and whimsical details, such as Carson’s bone-patterned shirt or Jack’s ridiculous romp on a treadmill, do add some visual humor but not enough to lighten the overall effect. Carson’s sad self-examination as he's dressed only in tighty-whiteys seems decidedly overdone, while his wordless conversion to a bike-riding calorie burner on the final page belies the truth suggested in earlier illustrations—that fast food bears much of the blame for the current epidemic of obesity. Skip this didactic drivel and skip rope instead. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: March 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7614-5809-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Review Posted Online: Feb. 10, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2011
A light dose of natural history, with occasional “EWWW!” for flavor
Having surveyed worms, spiders, flies, and head lice, Gravel continues her Disgusting Critters series with a quick hop through toad fact and fancy.
The facts are briefly presented in a hand-lettered–style typeface frequently interrupted by visually emphatic interjections (“TOXIN,” “PREY,” “EWWW!”). These are, as usual, paired to simply drawn cartoons with comments and punch lines in dialogue balloons. After casting glances at the common South American ancestor of frogs and toads, and at such exotic species as the Emei mustache toad (“Hey ladies!”), Gravel focuses on the common toad, Bufo bufo. Using feminine pronouns throughout, she describes diet and egg-laying, defense mechanisms, “warts,” development from tadpole to adult, and of course how toads shed and eat their skins. Noting that global warming and habitat destruction have rendered some species endangered or extinct, she closes with a plea and, harking back to those South American origins, an image of an outsized toad, arm in arm with a dark-skinned lad (in a track suit), waving goodbye: “Hasta la vista!”
A light dose of natural history, with occasional “EWWW!” for flavor . (Informational picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-77049-667-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2016
Proving even pooped piggies are ready to party, this will make children want to join in.
A noisy barnyard is no place for a nap!
Poor pig, all he wants to do is take a short snooze. However, there seems to be something going on around him. Each of his farm friends is making noise of one kind or another. “Hen wants to saw.” “Dog wants to tap.” “Hog wants to hum.” Pig looks closer and closer to fainting from exhaustion until he spies some drinking straws and has an idea. He sinks himself in his mud puddle and breathes through a straw snorkel. He’s finally able to catch some Z’s…but all those barnyard noises had a purpose: prep for a piggy birthday celebration. So much for napping! Long’s entry in the I Like to Read series tells its simple tale in 47 words, nearly all of which are of the single-syllable, easy-to-sound-out variety. Bright pastel-and-primary full-bleed illustrations featuring big-eyed farm folk will keep eyes on the page during storytime or guided independent reading. The visual humor and the easy-reading text make this a winner for readers just starting out.
Proving even pooped piggies are ready to party, this will make children want to join in. (Early reader. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8234-2428-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 29, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2012
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