A well-intentioned picture book about flatulence that falls flat.
The Fart Detective solves some aromatic mysteries and educates the next generation in Broughton’s latest picture book.
Whoever smelt it, dealt it, right? Well, not always: Enter the Fart Detective. His job is to sniff out the culprit of the silent-but-deadly variety of flatulence. When a child passes gas in his classroom, he and his peers scramble out of the room to escape the awful smell. The scent eventually makes its way to the titular Sherlock Holmes–esque detective, who’s in search of the disagreeable smell’s source but not interested in shaming the perpetrator for their odoriferous actions: “Farts are funny, if not overdone. It’s not nice to embarrass someone.” In fact, the detective is so knowledgeable about the forensics of farts that he becomes a guest speaker in the aforementioned child’s class. Unfortunately, the class’s teacher wants to ban the Fart Detective from the school entirely. The lesson at the book’s core—essentially, not being ashamed of your natural bodily functions—is a valuable one, but the story can often get confusing. Several plot elements, like how the detective came to speak to a school without prior approval by the administration, are hard to put together. Broughton’s rhyming narration likewise misses the mark, as many lines don’t scan and pairings such as “fartin’” and “certain” just don’t work. Ross’ illustrations—mainly of the mustachioed, deerstalker-wearing Fart Detective himself—are bright and expressive but lack context.
A well-intentioned picture book about flatulence that falls flat.Pub Date: Nov. 16, 2023
ISBN: 978-0912350912
Page Count: 49
Publisher: Mill Mountain Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A tender bedtime tale set in a too-seldom-seen northern world.
A quiet book for putting young children to bed in a state of snowy wonder.
The magic of the north comes alive in a picture book featuring Inuit characters. In the sky at nighttime, snow falls fast. / … / In the sky at nighttime, a raven roosts atop a tall building. / … / In the sky at nighttime, a mother’s delicate song to her child arises like a gentle breeze.” With the repetition of the simple, titular refrain, the author envisions what happens in a small town at night: Young children see their breath in the cold; a hunter returns on his snowmobile; the stars dazzle in the night sky. A young mother rocks her baby to sleep with a song and puts the tot down with a trio of stuffed animals: hare, polar bear, seal. The picture book evokes a feeling of peace as the street lamps, northern lights, and moon illuminate the snow. The illustrations are noteworthy for the way they meld the old world with what it looks like to be a modern Indigenous person: A sled dog and fur-lined parkas combine easily with the frame houses, a pickup truck, power lines, and mobile-hung crib. By introducing Indigenous characters in an unremarkably familiar setting, the book reaches children who don’t always see themselves in an everyday context.
A tender bedtime tale set in a too-seldom-seen northern world. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-77227-238-3
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Inhabit Media
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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