Using bouncy rhyme, Manushkin pays tribute to the virtues of the tush. Both animals and humans have them. Even the king and queen have tushies. Some are firm and some are droopy. It’s a fun word to say, but it also cushions you during a fall. It’s a place to put your underwear and something to somersault over your head. Dockray’s colorful line drawings illustrate with realism and humor all the activities of the tushy, from sledding to skating to dancing. The artist’s use of white space leaves the pages uncluttered, letting the detail shine through. As the author states, we all have tushies, but readers will also all have smiles after finishing this book. Having finished it once, however, they’re unlikely to pick it up again; as one-joke butt books go, this pales in comparison to such derriere-licious treatments as Chicken Cheeks, by Michael Ian Black and illustrated by Kevin Hawkes (2009). (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: April 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-312-36926-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2009
Categories: CHILDREN'S HEALTH & DAILY LIVING
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
That most basic of functions, subject of countless earnest tomes, at last receives a treatment whose instructional value is equaled by its entertainment value. “If you ever get that funny feeling . . . ” reads a series of signs borne by a host of cheerful, cartoony mice as they fly, drive, march, and (in at least one instance) get shot from a cannon past a bevy of dubious-looking multicultural children: “don’t PANIC! Don’t FRET!” The simple text is direct, not without humor (“And please don’t ignore it!”), and wonderfully child-wise, providing the critical reassurance that “everything will still be right where it was.” The multitudinous mice in their kite-flying, instrument-playing, sky-diving, helicopter-driving variety constitute a visual feast that enlivens the simple text and will keep the inevitable re-readings from becoming snooze-inducing. The uncluttered layout allows the children to take center stage while the legions of mice, with their text-bearing signs, happily perform their supporting roles. Those kids move from doubt to magnificent relief to pride in a happily encouraging progression, making this offering number one in the potty department. (Picture book. 2-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-7868-1868-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2003
Categories: CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S HEALTH & DAILY LIVING
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This straightforward, graphic book was published in Japan in 1978. Whether the US is ready for its unblinking look at a subject that naturally fascinates children and is basic to toilet training remains to be seen. ``An elephant makes a big poop. A mouse makes a tiny poop,'' begins Gomi, depicting animals, birds, fish, and humans in boldly stylized forms silhouetted against origami-paper colors; their feces are appropriately shaped blobs. There's a lot to know: different shapes, colors, and smells (not described), while some animals stop but ``Others do it on the move.'' A child heading for ``a special place'' introduces a nonjudgmental comparison of adults and tots on toilets and potties with a baby on a diaper. The book concludes with a seven- animal lineup viewed fore (``All living things eat, so...'') and aft (``Everyone poops''). Candid and sensible. (Picture book. 2- 5)
Pub Date: March 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-916291-45-6
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Kane Miller
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1993
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SEEN & HEARD
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