A bit of natural science combines with a sweet tale of perseverance and camaraderie.
Again and again, Little Beaver, eager to play with his friends, claims his dam is finished—but is it?
Art and text combine to provide a plot familiar to a great many children. Each time Little Beaver adds a twig or two to the dam he is supposed to be building, a different friend comes along to lure him away: first Fish (a trout), then Bird (a great blue heron), then Otter. Each time, one of Little Beaver’s parents slaps a tail to call back the errant kit, then reminds him that he needs to do some more work before he may play. There is a good deal of onomatopoeia and gentle rhyming to provide enjoyment to both a read-aloud audience and beginning readers; these sounds are set apart in a larger display type. Examples: “Nibble Nibble Snap” and “Scoop Scoop Pat” as Little Beaver works on the dam; Fish’s “Flish Flish Swish”; and, of course, the “Slap Slap Slap” of Papa’s and Mama’s tails. Children will also learn the rudiments of dam-building as they empathize with Little Beaver’s impatience. The mixed-media art combines a northern woodlands palette of blue and green watercolors for backgrounds; in the foreground are animals that are a pleasant combination of anthropomorphic facial expressions and elegantly rendered, realistic bodies. There is gentle humor throughout.
A bit of natural science combines with a sweet tale of perseverance and camaraderie. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 25, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3705-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018
A funny David-versus-Goliath story with a one-word question serving as the slingshot. (Picture book. 3-5)
Doctor X-Ray, a megalomaniac with an X-ray blaster and an indestructible battle suit, crashes through the ceiling of the local mall.
Innocent patrons scatter to safety. But one curious child gazes directly at the bully and asks: “Why?” At first, Doctor X-Ray answers with all the menace and swagger of a supervillain. The curious child, armed with only a stuffed bear and clad in a bright red dress, is not satisfied with the answers and continues asking: “Why?” As his pale cheeks flush with emotion, Doctor X-Ray peels back the onion of his interior life, unearthing powerful reasons behind his pursuit of tyranny. This all sounds heavy, but the humorously monotonous questions coupled with free-wheeling illustrations by Keane set a quick pace with comical results. At 60 pages, the book has room to follow this thread back to the diabolical bully’s childhood. Most of the answers go beyond a child’s understanding—parental entertainment between the howl of the monosyllabic chorus. It is the digital artwork, which is reminiscent of Quentin Blake’s, that creates a joyful undercurrent of rebellion with bold and loose brush strokes, patches of color, and expressive faces. The illustrations harken to a previous era save for the thoroughly liberated Asian child speaking truth to power.
A funny David-versus-Goliath story with a one-word question serving as the slingshot. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4521-6863-0
Page Count: 60
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A funny tale about stress and an ever upping ante, with a comforting end.
Something is preventing Owl from falling asleep.
Owl leans back against his white pillow and headboard. “Squeek!” says something underneath the bed. Owl’s never heard that sound before, so he fastens his pink bathrobe and answers the front door. Nobody. It must be the wind; back to bed. Bidding himself goodnight, he climbs into bed—and hears the noise again. Time after time, he pops out of bed seeking the squeaker. Is it in the cupboard? He empties the shelves. Under the floor? He pulls up his floorboards. As Owl’s actions ratchet up—he destroys the roof and smashes the walls, all in search of the squeak—so does his anxiety. Not until he hunkers down in bed under the night sky (his bed is now outdoors, because the house’s roof and walls are gone), frantically clutching his pillow, does he see what readers have seen all along: a small, gray mouse. In simple illustrations with black outlines, textured coloring, and foreshortened perspective, Pizzoli plays mischievously with mouse placement. Sometimes the mouse is behind Owl or just out of his sightline; other times, the mouse is on a solid, orange-colored page across the spread from Owl, which removes him from Owl’s scene in a rather postmodern manner. Is the mouse toying with Owl? Who knows?
A funny tale about stress and an ever upping ante, with a comforting end. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 19, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4847-1275-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2016
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