Kids, animals, and plucky word play combine in this engaging offering from first-time authors, and husband-and-wife team, McCall and Keeler. As the jacket explains, the text is based on a rhyming word game called “Stinky Pinky” or “Silly Willy.” To play, participants figure out the rhyming word pair that goes with the two-word clue. For example, bordered in bright orange, the opening photograph shows a boy patting the titular farm animal. Above, bold white text gives the clue: “A huge hog is a . . . ” Youngsters turn the page to reveal the words “BIG PIG” above a full-page photo of three children coaxing the creature into its pen. Subsequent photos show that “Cattle food is . . . / Cow Chow” and “A cozy beetle is a . . . / SNUG BUG.” Throughout, colorful frames define question-and-answer pairs; some will stump, many will surprise, all will bring smiles. A terrific read-aloud, the interactive format encourages students to call out responses and, eventually, challenge one another with clues they invent on their own. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-06-029765-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2001
Ignoring a big dragon’s repeated complaints, one, two, three…up to ten little dragons make increasing amounts of sleep-preventing noise in this bouncy counting rhyme. Using a flat silkscreen style for his digitally created cartoon scenes, Long supplies a swelling band of spiky, pop-eyed youngsters with toys and musical instruments, along with such modern noisemakers as a flat-screen television, to keep the increasingly irritated parent (or maybe older sib?) wakeful. Modeled on “Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed” and like chestnuts, the written narrative offers both a reasonably regular cadence and some deft alliteration: “Three dancing dragons learn to tap, tap, tap. / One groggy dragon groans, ‘I want to nap!’ ” At last the miscreants tumble into bed themselves—only to find the tables turned by their larger cavemate’s spread-filling snores. A lighthearted take on a topic of common domestic interest, equally suited to sharing one on one or with a larger audience. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2010
ISBN: 970-0-545-16557-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2010
An engaging story about a Jack Russell terrier that, startled by the fireworks at midnight on New Year's Eve, disappears through an open door. Molly has been happily joining in the festivities with Lisa and Max, the children in her household, who are devastated when a late-night search in the falling snow fails to recover their beloved dog. Next morning, however, a call to the animal shelter gets quick results, and when the family goes to thank the lady who took Molly in, they learn something of her adventures. The narration's sunny tone adds interest to the simple events, while Waas's nicely observed, softly rendered color illustrations have an empathy and good cheer recalling Lena Anderson's work. Lop-eared Molly's a charmer. (Easy reader. 5-8)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1993
ISBN: 1-55858-229-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 1993
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