A salute to the spirit of invention that reads more like a first draft than a finished product.
A young Renaissance penguin triumphs after much trial and considerable error.
Rutland crafts an incoherent tale featuring a beaked inventor who puts part of his flock in peril with one experimental device, then gets them out of it with another. Trapped on a small iceberg that’s been split from the home glacier in some unclear way by his new flying machine and is rapidly shrinking as ice chunks are bitten off by a menacing orca, Chilly hastens to construct from apparently limitless quantities of iron “sea junk” a series of baroque escape vehicles. After his riveted “Polar Roller” sinks like a stone and a side-wheeled submarine likewise fails (“My pulleys didn’t pulley. My engine didn’t engine,” he comments opaquely), he pauses for some kelp casserole made by the “ladies who chick-sit me” before ultimately (after many pages) succeeding. The splashy watercolor-style illustrations alternate between jumbled brown leaves of rough diagrams and Antarctic scenes of the bespectacled Chilly, ruminating over each reversal and ignoring the sallies of nemesis Vinnie (“Hey, pull my flipper”) in the background. The tale’s non sequiturs and coy sight gags and references will likely play better with readers than its supposed theme—which, according to the author’s awkwardly phrased afterword, reflects the life of the historical Leonardo in focusing more on process than rewards and in thinking outside the box.
A salute to the spirit of invention that reads more like a first draft than a finished product. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Dec. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-7358-4283-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
A heaping flop, even for children who fall on this sort of humor and devour it with relish.
Redlich dumps off a single-joke solo debut in which the simian victim of a fecal prank goes around repeating the titular enquiry over and over. And over.
Suddenly acquiring a cap of crap, Furley the monkey springs up to accost a succession of larger animals. All offer threatening and woodenly phrased denials along the lines of Elephant’s “I’d sooner trample you to dust that do such a filthy thing!” and Python’s “Even if I could, I wouldn’t do such a sorry thing! I’d sooner squeeze you tight and swallow you whole!” Ultimately, the text devolves into simple repetitions of Furley’s accusing question, until at last, his brother Charlie drops in to gloat and (predictably) receives an airmailed anointment of his own: “SHOOP!” The illustrations keep this funny longer than the language and storyline do with an exaggerated size differential that places most of the other animals’ bodies well beyond the edges of the page and a very small tailless ape (not a monkey, despite the text) who displays caricatured outrage and bare butt cheeks colored a bright, garish pink.
A heaping flop, even for children who fall on this sort of humor and devour it with relish. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-62087-543-8
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Review Posted Online: May 21, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2013
Children will likely enjoy this visit to a newly united neighborhood, even if the catalyst for its creation is more device...
A friendly cat worms his way into the affections of a number of neighbors, gains new names (and enough extra meals to pack on a few pounds), and eventually brings together residents new and old.
Variously christened “Stuart Little,” “Kitty-boy,” “Placido,” “Mooch,” “Dove” and “Mouse,” the round gray cat offers companionship to a lonely librarian, an elderly gentleman, a widowed Hispanic opera lover, a red-haired policewoman with a fondness for fast food, a homeless vet, and a girl and her mom just settling into their new home. A (happy) twist at the end removes the cat from this particular community, but his presence, however temporary, has a lasting impact. Johnston’s text is smooth and conversational, with pleasantly distinct voices for each of the characters, but it may prove overly long for some young listeners. The themes of diversity and connection are commendable, but occasionally, they seem to outweigh Johnston’s plump hero. Davenier’s soft ink-and–colored-pencil illustrations, mostly double-page spreads, have the fluidity of watercolors as well as a scratchy, scruffy charm. Repeated patterns and colors create a cohesive feel, as does the appearance of various characters in the background both before and after they have been introduced.
Children will likely enjoy this visit to a newly united neighborhood, even if the catalyst for its creation is more device than distinct individual. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-58089-381-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2013
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