For readers with a taste for the bizarre.
Eyebrows run amok.
Bernard wakes up one morning to discover that his normally reasonable eyebrows have gone “BAD.” His dad asks, “What’s with the goofy face?” and his mom warns him to stop “making funny faces.” Bernard assures everyone that it’s not him, it’s the strangely assertive eyebrows. Throughout the day, the brows morph into different zany shapes, expressing emotions that mask Bernard’s actual feelings. His frustrated principal explains that “your eyebrows are your face’s way of telling other people how you feel.” The barber and the doctor can’t help even as the eyebrows become dangerous, growing so long that they trip people and make mischief. A knock on his bedroom door signals the return of his “real” eyebrows, back from vacation. He vows to never again take them for granted, practicing “many exciting expressions that night.” This frankly weird book requires readers willing to go with the outlandish premise. The eyebrows’ eventual tentaclelike movement and ensuing chaos are, as the narrator says, “downright disgusting.” The cartoon illustrations, like the odd premise, are reminiscent of an animated show on commercial TV—one can imagine sound effects. Bernard is biracial, and his family is interracial; his dad and grandpa present white while his mom has brown skin, as do many figures at Bernard’s school.
For readers with a taste for the bizarre. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 24, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2537-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.
A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.
He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts. When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
Making friends isn’t always this easy and convenient.
How do you make a new friend when an old one moves away?
Buddy (from Sorry, Grown-Ups, You Can’t Go to School, 2019, etc.) is feeling lonely. His best friend just moved across town. To make matters worse, there is a field trip coming up, and Buddy needs a bus partner. His sister, Lady, has some helpful advice for making a new pal: “You just need to find something you have in common.” Buddy loves the game Robo Chargers and karate. Surely there is someone else who does, too! Unfortunately, there isn’t. However, when a new student arrives (one day later) and asks everyone to call her Sunny instead of Alison, Buddy gets excited. No one uses his given name, either; they just call him Buddy. He secretly whispers his “real, official name” to Sunny at lunch—an indication that a true friendship is being formed. The rest of the story plods merrily along, all pieces falling exactly into place (she even likes Robo Chargers!), accompanied by Bowers’ digital art, a mix of spot art and full-bleed illustrations. Friendship-building can be an emotionally charged event in a child’s life—young readers will certainly see themselves in Buddy’s plight—but, alas, there is not much storytelling magic to be found. Buddy and his family are White, Sunny and Mr. Teacher are Black, and Buddy’s other classmates are racially diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Making friends isn’t always this easy and convenient. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: July 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-30709-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
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