Seymour and Keach (Yum!, not reviewed, 1998) join forces for another This One ‘N That One escapade, continuing the capers of two frisky kittens based on their own twins. The tired theme of jumping on the bed is at its most predictable here. When the two frisky, literal-minded twin kittens are told by Big Jim and Lady Jane not to jump on chairs, they jump on the sofa. When told not to jump on the sofa, they jump on the bed, and so forth. Soon Lady Jane is missing, and found jumping on her own bed with the “naughtiest kits in Catafornia,” in a plot device so standard it’s now become expected. Big Jim can’t beat ‘em, so he joins ‘em, and subsequently breaks the bed. The story is little more than a snapshot from a family album, and even pictures of the wide-eyed cats in bright pajamas can’t save it; readers wanting more boing for their buck will have to look elsewhere. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-399-23440-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1999
PLB 0-688-15996-6 The familiar plight of the smallest is the subject of this picture book from Keller (Brave Horace, 1998, etc.), featuring a baby bear, who is smaller than his mother, father, and siblings. Jacob is frustrated when he can’t reach the cookie jar, see himself in the mirror, or climb to the top of the jungle gym. Papa and Mama tell him he must wait to grow bigger, but Jacob hates waiting. Paint marks on a tree replace the traditional notches in a door frame to mark Jacob’s height. No matter how many vegetables he eats, he doesn’t grow; when the snows come, his mark is buried in a drift. After the snow melts, the reassuring ending finds Jacob grown, not only in stature but in maturity. The apple-cheeked characters are round and cuddly, while the homey, pen-and-watercolor scenes are ever-affable. At their center, the demonstrative Jacob is an everychild, learning to find joy in small measures. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-688-15995-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1999
Little Caterpillar longs to fly away with friends Ladybird and Bee. Wingless and earthbound, she patiently awaits their eventual reappearance. However, when Ladybird and Bee return from an aerial jaunt one day they discover that their friend is missing. Snail informs them that she is slumbering within a cocoon. Soon, to her friends delight, Caterpillar emerges sporting a pair of glorious yellow wings and asks to be called by her new name, Butterfly. The three are next seen soaring over the garden together. Murphy (I Like It When . . ., 1997) puts the characters for this vivid picture book amid the bright foliage of a bountiful garden. In the full-page illustrations, awash with color and drawn from a bug’s perspective, boldly outlined flowers loom as tall as trees, while leaves provide a verdant canopy for the convivial insects. The oversized format and thick, durable paper allow toddlers the freedom to manipulate the pages on their own, which they will, and frequently. (Picture book. 1-4)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-7894-2593-9
Page Count: 20
Publisher: DK Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1999
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