A gentle counter to traditional notions of masculinity and grit that breaks little new ground.
The author-illustrator team behind Giraffes Can’t Dance (2001) returns with a rhyming ode to bravery starring a pair of anthropomorphic bears.
Strong, handsome, courageous Clarence catches fish and finds honey with ease; in short, he’s “everything grizzly bears ought to be.” A loving big sibling, he gently encourages younger, smaller brother Dave to follow his example, but sensitive Dave presents a different image of masculinity. Wearing a flower garland, he cries: “I’ll never be Clarence, not EVER!” But Dave is struck by inspiration when he finds a brightly patterned piece of fabric on a walk and embarks on a secret project. Eventually, he invites all the animals to his den and presents his brother with a fabulous cloak, explaining that creating it “makes me feel…TRUE.” The transformation is tied up with an emotional bow as Clarence sheds tears of joy and tells Dave that accepting who he is makes him brave. The immediate and unanimous acceptance of Dave’s affinity for fashion is sweet if perhaps a bit idealistic; human children may not be as accepting as the gaggle of woodland critters, though the trepidation Dave feels in breaking from the norm rings true. Given how reassuring Clarence is from the get-go, there isn’t much dramatic tension, and it’s a story we’ve seen countless times before. The illustration style is love it or leave it, with campy, bright colors and a nostalgic, retro feeling in the shading and slight shadows. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A gentle counter to traditional notions of masculinity and grit that breaks little new ground. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-338-85010-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2023 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
