Broadly entertaining.
A small elephant’s superhero ambitions leave unintended chaos wherever he goes.
The determined Jumbo, in gray overalls, takes a creative approach to being super: he hoists barbells crafted from two halves of a watermelon, fires a plumber’s helper from a curved bow, and sports a bright yellow cape and eye mask cut from the middle of the living-room curtains. Messes abound in his wake. Out in the neighborhood, Jumbo stops traffic (assorted animal pedestrians and drivers) for a small parade of snails. He brings a ladder to “help” a cat up a tree. He shoos birds away from popcorn scattered by an elderly elephant in the park. These deeds go unappreciated, as the young audience will guess. Yet faced with the opportunity to be of real assistance, sweet-toothed Jumbo resists the call of the wares in the cake-shop window. He hurries to help, has just the right tool at hand, and makes a friend. Koehler’s chunky, bold lines and varying perspectives are comical and lively, while the simple text offers several moments of nicely silly contrasts between the elephantine wannabe superhero’s intentions and his results. Amusing vignettes of the superhero on the title page, verso, and dedication page offer glimpses of Jumbo’s challenges. A box of Jumbo cookies makes its appearance early on and reappears several times before the end.
Broadly entertaining. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3923-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 16, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2015
Parent-child love and affection, appealingly presented, with the added attraction of the seasonal content and lack of gender...
A polar-bear parent speaks poetically of love for a child.
A genderless adult and cub travel through the landscapes of an arctic year. Each of the softly rendered double-page paintings has a very different feel and color palette as the pair go through the seasons, walking through wintry ice and snow and green summer meadows, cavorting in the blue ocean, watching whales, and playing beside musk oxen. The rhymes of the four-line stanzas are not forced, as is the case too often in picture books of this type: “When cold, winter winds / blow the leaves far and wide, / You’ll cross the great icebergs / with me by your side.” On a dark, snowy night, the loving parent says: “But for now, cuddle close / while the stars softly shine. // I’ll always be yours, / and you’ll always be mine.” As the last illustration shows the pair curled up for sleep, young listeners will be lulled to sweet dreams by the calm tenor of the pictures and the words. While far from original, this timeless theme is always in demand, and the combination of delightful illustrations and poetry that scans well make this a good choice for early-childhood classrooms, public libraries, and one-on-one home read-alouds.
Parent-child love and affection, appealingly presented, with the added attraction of the seasonal content and lack of gender restrictions. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-68010-070-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
Willems’ formula is still a winner.
The pigeon is back, and he is filthy!
Readers haven’t seen the pigeon for a couple of years, not since The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? (2012), and apparently he hasn’t bathed in all that time. Per the usual routine, the bus driver (clad in shower cap and bathrobe) opens the story by asking readers to help convince the pigeon to take a bath. Though he’s covered in grime, the obstreperous bird predictably resists. He glares at readers and suggests that maybe they need baths. With the turn of the page, Willems anticipates readers’ energetic denials: The pigeon demands, “YEAH! When was the last time YOU had a bath?!” Another beat allows children to supply the answer. “Oh.” A trio of flies that find him repulsive (“P.U.!”) convinces him it’s time. One spread with 29 separate panels depicts the pigeon adjusting the bath (“Too wet!…Too cold.…Too reflective”) before the page turn reveals him jumping in with a spread-filling “SPLASH!” Readers accustomed to the pigeon formula will note that here the story breaks from its normal rhythms; instead of throwing a tantrum, the pigeon discovers what readers already know: “This is FUN!” All the elements are in place, including page backgrounds that modulate from dirty browns to fresh, clean colors and endpapers that bookend the story (including a very funny turnabout for the duckling, here a rubber bath toy).
Willems’ formula is still a winner. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4231-9087-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2014
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