PLB 0-8037-1693-1 Lewis (Doodle Dandies, p. 896, etc.) has created an almanac of words at play, using tongue-twisters, puns, alliteration, and many forms and fancies of rhyme scheme in an unabashed celebration of language. The book is cunningly divided into sections—“Appetizers,” “Sherbets,” “Entrees,” “Sumptuous Side Dishes,” and “Delectable Desserts”—peppered by a very few poems from other writers. Among the terrific, lightning-flash images: “Milo Armadillo/heavy metal fellow”; Paulie McCoy, “A peanut buttery bit of a boy”; and a little toe-counting rhyme that starts off “Idaho pota-toe, Italian toma-toe.” In “Home, Sweet Home” readers bounce along to “I met my wife in Houdy, Miss./Or was it Odear, Me.? We bought a house in Fiven, Tenn./And lived so happily.” In perfect harmony are O’Brien’s marvelously textured lines, dots, stipples, and colors; his bookworms serve books-on-a-plate as a frontispiece to each section, and the characters have the bright energy of the verses. (Picture book/poetry. 3-9)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8037-1692-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1998
Tasty fare for alien fans.
When his summer snack stand fails to attract family and neighbors, an enterprising young chef with a flair for the unusual draws some very weird customers from way out of town.
This creative young boy likes to help his mom cook and make up his own recipes. His sister finds his eggplant, mustard, and lemonade smoothie disgusting and warns him that no one in the world or the universe would eat what he cooks. Undaunted, he builds a snack stand, but no one comes for his waffles, smoothies and sandwiches. Just as the boy gives up, a flying saucer lands near the shack one night, and his first alien customer samples the mushroom iced tea. Word spreads through the galaxy, and creatures line up nightly for their favorite dishes: Swiss-cheese doughnut holes, turnip-side-down cake, sponge cake with leeks, and bean puffs. But when the boy mixes all his favorite ingredients into Galactic Pudding, he may have gone too far for even his far-out clientele. Rendered in ink, pencil and digital techniques, quiet illustrations embellish the spare text by casting glowing moonlight on a bevy of eerie, silly, fantastical extraterrestrials in nocturnal purples, blues and greens. Whimsical pairing of creatures and snacks—an enormous critter with a giant mouthful of teeth loves the toothpaste soup, for instance—proves especially rib-tickling.
Tasty fare for alien fans. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 7, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8027-2398-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Walker
Review Posted Online: June 19, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
A visual feast and rhyming text provide read-aloud fun and encouragement for picky eaters.
A little girl and her dragon have different ideas about what’s good to eat in Weaver’s picture book.
Feeding a pet dragon can be quite a challenge, especially if the dragon is prone to fire-breathing—just ask the little girl (who has light-colored skin and blond hair) at the center of this whimsical picture book. Her hungry dragon once “lost complete control,” spat fire, and singed the seat of her pants. “So, now I must be careful and make sure he’s always fed,” she says, “or else I might end up with toasted underwear instead!” But what to fix for a dragon’s lunch? The unnamed girl is sure the dragon’s culinary tastes “are similar to mine,” so she rules out vegetables and casseroles in favor of pizza, a milkshake, and chocolate cake. As the clever, rhyming narrative continues, the proposed dragon menu becomes more outlandish, including frosted tacos, a candy bar sandwich, a chocolate lake, and “mountains made of pancakes.” With a light touch, Weaver wraps this quirky fantasy around a good message for picky eaters; the dragon’s preference for steak and veggies persuades the little girl to give more nutritious foods a try. Soylu’s vivid, idiosyncratic, full-page color illustrations are a delight, complemented by the text layout, which is varied with curves, angles, colors, and quirky lettering.
A visual feast and rhyming text provide read-aloud fun and encouragement for picky eaters.Pub Date: July 16, 2024
ISBN: 9781736267363
Page Count: 36
Publisher: A Little Offbeat Publishing
Review Posted Online: Feb. 26, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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