Audrey wants to go to India. But Barbara, her cat, isn’t quite as enthusiastic. “Will I have to get off my pillow?” she asks. Still, the faithful feline sticks by her side as Audrey unveils her plan in this optimistic ode to friendship and the power of the imagination. Witty watercolors add depth to Lawson’s picture-book debut, which is written entirely in dialogue. One illustration, for example, shows Audrey, with spindly legs and oversize head, mounting her bicycle while Barbara waits in the doorway. “ ‘We have a long way to go. India is on the other side of the world.’ / ‘But what about the ocean?’ asked Barbara. / ‘What ocean?’ ” On the next page, Audrey and Barbara consult a globe. “ ‘That one,” said Barbara. ‘It’s between us and India.’ / ‘Oh,’ said Audrey.” The back-and-forth banter establishes Audrey as the visionary adventurer and Barbara as the voice of reason (and always looking for a nap). Undaunted, the heroine suits up for a swim across the sea; attempts to turn her bathtub into a boat; then outfits it with wheels from an old baby buggy. As she rolls it out the door, Barbara asks what will happen if the wind stops blowing and they get tired of rowing. “We’ll be stuck in the middle of the ocean,” she says. For the first time, optimistic Audrey contemplates defeat. But Barbara soon buoys her spirit, suggesting, “We could ask a whale for a two.” “That’s a great idea,” answers Audrey. In the end, the two set sail (Audrey’s outfitted the rig with Barbara’s favorite pillow) and end up on elephants in front of the Taj Mahal. Of course. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: May 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-689-83896-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2002
Young readers will be “antsy” to join the hero on her satisfying escapade.
An ant explores her world.
Addie Ant’s ready for adventure. Despite some trepidation about leaving the Tomato Bed, where she lives with her aunt, she plucks up her courage and ventures forth across the garden to the far side of the shed. On her journey, she meets her pal Lewis Ladybug, who greets her warmly, points the way, and offers sage advice. When Addie arrives at her destination, she’s welcomed by lovely Beatrix Butterfly and enjoys an “ant-tastic” helping of watermelon. Beatrix also provides Addie with take-home treats and a map for the “Cricket Express,” which will take her straight home. Arriving at the terminal, Addie’s delighted to meet another friend, Cleo Cricket, whose carriage service returns Addie home in “two hops.” After eating a warm tomato soup dinner, Addie falls asleep and dreams of future exploits. Adorable though not terribly original, this story brims with sensuous pleasures, both textual and visual. Kids who declare that they dislike fruits or veggies may find their mouths watering at the mentions and sights of luscious tomatoes, peas, beans, watermelons, berries, and other foodstuffs; insect-averse readers may likewise think differently after encountering these convivial, wide-eyed characters. And those flowers and herbs everywhere! The highlights are the colors that burst from the pages. Addie’s an endearing, empowering character who reassures children they’ll be able to take those first independent steps successfully.
Young readers will be “antsy” to join the hero on her satisfying escapade. (author’s note about ants) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 9, 2024
ISBN: 9781797228914
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
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