Despite the preliminarily disenchanting premise of the different-one-who-wins, Eduar, with ebullient illustrations that blaze with tropical scenery and color, sweeps readers into the saga of how Jooka-zay-kajoo's search for his unique identity leads him to unity with the crocodiles. It isn't just Jooka's name that's weird, but everything else as well: his red-striped tank top, his antennas, his falling asleep in the water (because he then bumps into the bridge and wakes everyone from siesta). The crocodiles accept Jooka anyway, until the day he sneezes fire and wings pop out of his shirt. The frightened crocs run away, and Zooka sadly paddles his boat to a rocky little island, the home of Theo, a wise pelican. Theo not only tells Jooka what he is—a dragon—but also trains him to strengthen his gifts before sending him back to his crocodile friends. By this time, they need him to get back the crocodiles taken by hunters; Jooka saves the captured with his fire and flight, and the book closes with a reunion. Vibrant illustrations and small touches lift this story from the ordinary, and establish a magical world akin to that of Babar—a world that readers will respond to happily. (Picture book. 3-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-531-30036-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Orchard
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1997
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Jahn-Clough (Alicia Has a Bad Day, 1994, not reviewed) introduces a heroine who vibrates off the page with glee. She wears a crown, toots her own horn, leads the parade, and welcomes all presents. And why not? It's her birthday, the day when even the shyest child throws off the shackles of civilization and sings me, me, ME! Childlike drawings bounce along with their heroine in colorful, energetic celebration. Small in scale, perfectly sized for a pocket, this book offers a festive start to any young child's birthday observances. (Picture book. 3-7)
Pub Date: March 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-395-77260-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Tantrum time, followed by sulks: Danny's in the toybox and won't come out—never, for the rest of his life. One by one, members of his family offer lures, orders, bribes; then they come back disguised: a ``doctor'' and even the ``Fire Brigade'' try to cajole him—until ``the Old Firefighter'' (Grandma) suggests, sensibly enough, that they should try leaving Danny alone—and he realizes that he's no longer mad about whatever it was (he's forgotten) and comes out. This doesn't have quite the comic genius of Steig's Spinky Sulks (1988), but it's still right on target. Greder's large, informal pictures extend the humor and the family interaction. (Picture book. 3-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 18, 1991
ISBN: 0-688-10501-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1991
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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