Fitting in at a new school is never effortless, even in an elementary classroom populated with Boynton’s droll animal characters (adored by legions of preschoolers and their parents in her many bestselling board books). The new kid in school in this upper-level easy reader is a polar bear by the name of Bobby North. He’s the shortest (and most unsure) animal in his class, and he quickly finds out the social rules at his new school: skateboards are a necessity, and a big moose named Harry Haller is the Emperor of Cool. Bobby earnestly works at being cool until one day he achieves a sort of frozen nirvana (and a corresponding epiphany of inner confidence), earning him Harry’s friendship and a place in his rock group. Bobby’s social status climbs until the day he executes a bold flying move off the skateboard ramp at a class party at Harry’s house. Deftly illustrating the maxim that “whatever goes up must come down,” Bobby soars unbelievably high on his board, but then crashes into a hedge, and his popularity crashes as well. The other animals are ready to make Bobby an outsider again, but Harry remains Bobby’s friend in a subtle, satisfying conclusion. McEwan’s catchy text is full of “cool” skateboarding terms and actions that will appeal to boys in the younger grades, but there’s more to this warm-hearted story than just skateboarding moves. The ephemeral nature of popularity and the inherent social strength of those who feel their “inner cool” are unusual sub-themes for an easy reader, but these are lessons we all must learn, usually in ways that are anything but easy. (Easy reader. 6-8)
Pub Date: May 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-82177-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2001
Each time the witch loses something in the windy weather, she and her cat are introduced to a new friend who loves flying on her broom. The fluid rhyming and smooth rhythm work together with one repetitive plot element focusing young attention spans until the plot quickens. (“Is there room on the broom for a blank such as me?”) When the witch’s broom breaks, she is thrown in to danger and the plot flies to the finish. Her friends—cat, dog, frog, and bird—are not likely to scare the dragon who plans on eating the witch, but together they form a formidable, gooey, scary-sounding monster. The use of full-page or even page-and-a-half spreads for many of the illustrations will ensure its successful use in story times as well as individual readings. The wart-nosed witch and her passengers make magic that is sure to please. Effective use of brilliant colors set against well-conceived backgrounds detail the story without need for text—but with it, the story—and the broom—take off. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-8037-2557-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2001
A lesson that never grows old, enacted with verve by two favorite friends
Gerald the elephant learns a truth familiar to every preschooler—heck, every human: “Waiting is not easy!”
When Piggie cartwheels up to Gerald announcing that she has a surprise for him, Gerald is less than pleased to learn that the “surprise is a surprise.” Gerald pumps Piggie for information (it’s big, it’s pretty, and they can share it), but Piggie holds fast on this basic principle: Gerald will have to wait. Gerald lets out an almighty “GROAN!” Variations on this basic exchange occur throughout the day; Gerald pleads, Piggie insists they must wait; Gerald groans. As the day turns to twilight (signaled by the backgrounds that darken from mauve to gray to charcoal), Gerald gets grumpy. “WE HAVE WASTED THE WHOLE DAY!…And for WHAT!?” Piggie then gestures up to the Milky Way, which an awed Gerald acknowledges “was worth the wait.” Willems relies even more than usual on the slightest of changes in posture, layout and typography, as two waiting figures can’t help but be pretty static. At one point, Piggie assumes the lotus position, infuriating Gerald. Most amusingly, Gerald’s elephantine groans assume weighty physicality in spread-filling speech bubbles that knock Piggie to the ground. And the spectacular, photo-collaged images of the Milky Way that dwarf the two friends makes it clear that it was indeed worth the wait.
A lesson that never grows old, enacted with verve by two favorite friends . (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4231-9957-1
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2014
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