Next book

THE HOLES IN YOUR NOSE

Following up on the success of Gomi's Everyone Poops (1993), Kane/Miller's latest Japanese import explores another child- intriguing topic in similar unblushing detail. Yagyu considers nostrils' shape, placement, and varied functions in different animals and in people, moving on logically to the effects of colds and such fascinating subjects as snot, nosebleeds, and nose hair. The graphically bold, childlike illustrations include a fairly clear diagram of nasal passages; neatly incorporated tips on hygiene round out a book that gives children some seldom- offered information about themselves in a playful yet forthright style that will both amuse and inform them. (Nonfiction/Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: April 1, 1994

ISBN: 0-916291-50-2

Page Count: 28

Publisher: Kane Miller

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1994

Next book

PIRATES DON'T TAKE BATHS

Echoes of Runaway Bunny color this exchange between a bath-averse piglet and his patient mother. Using a strategy that would probably be a nonstarter in real life, the mother deflects her stubborn offspring’s string of bath-free occupational conceits with appeals to reason: “Pirates NEVER EVER take baths!” “Pirates don’t get seasick either. But you do.” “Yeesh. I’m an astronaut, okay?” “Well, it is hard to bathe in zero gravity. It’s hard to poop and pee in zero gravity too!” And so on, until Mom’s enticing promise of treasure in the deep sea persuades her little Treasure Hunter to take a dive. Chunky figures surrounded by lots of bright white space in Segal’s minimally detailed watercolors keep the visuals as simple as the plotline. The language isn’t quite as basic, though, and as it rendered entirely in dialogue—Mother Pig’s lines are italicized—adult readers will have to work hard at their vocal characterizations for it to make any sense. Moreover, younger audiences (any audiences, come to that) may wonder what the piggy’s watery closing “EUREKA!!!” is all about too. Not particularly persuasive, but this might coax a few young porkers to get their trotters into the tub. (Picture book. 4-6)

Pub Date: March 1, 2011

ISBN: 978-0-399-25425-3

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Philomel

Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2011

Next book

SICK SIMON

Though the science is not particularly solid, the message is an important one, and with the level of gross in the...

Krall’s latest is a disgusting, tongue-in-cheek lesson in contagiousness.

Simon loves school so much that even a cold (with its attendant snotty nose) won’t keep him home. He kisses his family and boards the bus, proceeding to vomit out the window on the way: “He…had fun the whole way,” the text understates. The merest contact or proximity leads others to suddenly, and unrealistically, sport Simon’s symptoms. The week includes show-and-tell, a zoo field trip, a game of kickball and a child-free bus on Friday afternoon, all the children having finally succumbed to his illness. The three germs that have been following him around all week finally introduce themselves and high-five him for being such a “germ hero.” Horrified, Simon does his best to stop their spread, washing his hands, covering his mouth, resting and hydrating, though the same cannot be said for one classmate on Monday morning. Krall’s illustrations work in the ick factor, his Photoshopped characters sporting oozing and dripping poison-green noses as each comes into contact with Simon. Careful observers may spot the colorful germs before they introduce themselves, but even those who don’t will want to go back and try to find all their appearances.

Though the science is not particularly solid, the message is an important one, and with the level of gross in the illustrations, it is sure to get through to young audiences. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-4424-9097-0

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: Sept. 30, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2014

Close Quickview