A lost favorite toy is the impetus behind this tale of the adventure one rabbit might be having when he is away from home. Tatty Ratty, Molly’s favorite stuffed bunny, is missing again, and a thorough search of all the usual places turns up nothing. Molly is heartbroken, but with a little encouragement from her parents, she imagines what Tatty Ratty is doing out in the world. Hopping off the bus, Tatty Ratty finds his way on to a train where he gets new, blue buttons for the ones that he lost. Molly then imagines that he has breakfast with the Three Bears. A healthy serving of porridge fattens him back to his old self. Feeling full, he hops a ride with Cinderella, who mends him and brushes his fur. Taking her own bath, Molly imagines that Tatty Ratty jumps into the ocean for a dip before hitching a ride on a pirate ship. Molly’s father helps the tale by suggesting that the little rabbit is taking a dragon ride to the moon where the Man in the Moon sprinkles him in moondust, turning his fur white. Tatty Ratty is on his way home as he hops aboard a spaceship destined for Earth. A trip to the Kingdom of Bunny store finds that Tatty Ratty is right there waiting for Molly among all the other bunnies sitting on a shelf. Whimsical illustrations depict the dual story of Tatty Ratty’s adventures and Molly’s life at home without her toy. Parents of young children will definitely want to keep this tale in mind should their child’s own Tatty Ratty take off. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: March 14, 2002
ISBN: 0-374-37386-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Through quick thinking and personal sacrifice, a wise old Japanese farmer saves the people of his village from a devastating tsunami in this simple yet striking story based on Lafcadio Hearn’s “A Living God.” Ojiisan lives in a cottage on a mountain overlooking the village and sea. One day, villagers gather to celebrate the rice harvest, but Ojiisan stays home thinking “something does not feel right.” When the earth quakes and the sea darkens and runs away from the land, Ojiisan realizes a tsunami approaches. Fearing the oblivious villagers will be swept away, Ojiisan torches his rice fields to attract attention, and they respond, barely escaping the monster wave. Rendered in gouache, pastel and collage, Young’s illustrations cleverly combine natural textures, bold colors and abstract shapes to convey compelling images of chaos and disaster as the rice fields burn and the wave rushes in. In one literally breathtaking double-page spread, an enormous wall of water engulfs the teeny seacoast village. A visually powerful and dramatic tribute to one man’s willingness to sacrifice everything for others. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-399-25006-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2008
BOOK REVIEW
The action of this rhymed and humorous tale centers upon a mouse who "took a stroll/through the deep dark wood./A fox saw the mouse/and the mouse looked good." The mouse escapes being eaten by telling the fox that he is on his way to meet his friend the gruffalo (a monster of his imagination), whose favorite food is roasted fox. The fox beats a hasty retreat. Similar escapes are in store for an owl and a snake; both hightail it when they learn the particulars: tusks, claws, terrible jaws, eyes orange, tongue black, purple prickles on its back. When the gruffalo suddenly materializes out of the mouse's head and into the forest, the mouse has to think quick, declaring himself inedible as the "scariest creature in the deep dark wood," and inviting the gruffalo to follow him to witness the effect he has on the other creatures. When the gruffalo hears that the mouse's favorite food is gruffalo crumble, he runs away. It's a fairly innocuous tale, with twists that aren't sharp enough and treachery that has no punch. Scheffler's funny scenes prevent the suspense from culminating; all his creatures, predator and prey, are downright lovable. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: June 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8037-2386-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1999
SEEN & HEARD
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