Delightful.
This third entry in the charming series takes Peter and Ernesto on an exciting journey to find a lost friend.
When highly mobile sloths Peter, Ernesto, and their friends realize that Bernard, one of their own, is nowhere to be found, the anthropomorphic pals must figure out what to do. Enigmatic Ernesto convinces nervous Peter and the others that Bernard is definitely with the mysterious dragon that is rumored to be in the forest temple and that the other sloths should follow suit—after all, why would you go anywhere else when there is a dragon to be seen? After an unfortunate zip-line incident leaves Peter separated from the group, he meets a river otter captaining an abandoned boat. Together, they journey to the forest temple, where they reunite with Ernesto and the gang. They even discover the dragon—a Komodo dragon shipwrecked far from home. But no Bernard! The gang travels back home, leaving the otter to sail the dragon back to Komodo, only to discover—spoiler alert!—that Bernard was napping in their home tree the whole time. Thick lines, white space framing panels, and a large font make this perfect for readers newer to graphic novels. The sloths are stylized beyond recognition, looking more like tall, furry stumps with arms, legs, and eyes than the familiar tree-dwelling mammals, and they are adorable. Their big expressions and body language perfectly complement the dialogue’s sweet, silly humor.
Delightful. (Graphic fantasy. 6-10)Pub Date: April 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-21130-9
Page Count: 128
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Another winner from Mills, equally well suited to reading aloud and independent reading.
When Franklin School principal Mr. Boone announces a pet-show fundraiser, white third-grader Cody—whose lack of skill and interest in academics is matched by keen enthusiasm for and knowledge of animals—discovers his time to shine.
As with other books in this series, the children and adults are believable and well-rounded. Even the dialogue is natural—no small feat for a text easily accessible to intermediate readers. Character growth occurs, organically and believably. Students occasionally, humorously, show annoyance with teachers: “He made mad squinty eyes at Mrs. Molina, which fortunately she didn’t see.” Readers will be kept entertained by Cody’s various problems and the eventual solutions. His problems include needing to raise $10 to enter one of his nine pets in the show (he really wants to enter all of them), his troublesome dog Angus—“a dog who ate homework—actually, who ate everything and then threw up afterward”—struggles with homework, and grappling with his best friend’s apparently uncaring behavior toward a squirrel. Serious values and issues are explored with a light touch. The cheery pencil illustrations show the school’s racially diverse population as well as the memorable image of Mr. Boone wearing an elephant costume. A minor oddity: why does a child so immersed in animal facts call his male chicken a rooster but his female chickens chickens?
Another winner from Mills, equally well suited to reading aloud and independent reading. (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: June 14, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-374-30223-8
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look...
Winning actually isn’t everything, as jazz-happy Rooster learns when he goes up against the legendary likes of Mules Davis and Ella Finchgerald at the barnyard talent show.
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look good—particularly after his “ ‘Hen from Ipanema’ [makes] / the barnyard chickies swoon.”—but in the end the competition is just too stiff. No matter: A compliment from cool Mules and the conviction that he still has the world’s best band soon puts the strut back in his stride. Alexander’s versifying isn’t always in tune (“So, he went to see his cousin, / a pianist of great fame…”), and despite his moniker Rooster plays an electric bass in Bower’s canted country scenes. Children are unlikely to get most of the jokes liberally sprinkled through the text, of course, so the adults sharing it with them should be ready to consult the backmatter, which consists of closing notes on jazz’s instruments, history and best-known musicians.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-58536-688-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
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