When the owner of Pete’s Diner finds an orange, tiger-striped and scrawny cat in his garbage can, he names him Salami, after the cat’s favorite food. Skinny Sammy Salami quickly becomes chubby, but Pete, worn out from doing all the diner chores without any help, longs for a vacation and packs up for a weekend in the mountains. When he doesn’t return right away, Sammy pussyfoots his way onto the daily commuter train, thinking Pete is inside cooking, where a woman “rescues” him and names him Choo-choo. By chance, Lolly checks in to the resort where Pete is staying. Missed connections abound (Pete appears in the backgrounds), but coincidence continues as Pete and Lolly meet on the train home and Sammy/Choo-choo becomes the conduit that stirs up a happy ending for all—at Lolly & Pete’s Diner. Busily detailed and cartoonish illustrations play up the humor and silliness: Sammy sports a blue cap, leash and sunglasses; Pete wears the same sunglasses, a small derby and mustache fringe. A fun scrambled story—no baloney. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-8109-9350-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2007
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A book that will make young dog-owners smile in recognition and confirm dogless readers' worst suspicions about the mayhem caused by pets, even winsome ones. Sam, who bears passing resemblance to an affable golden retriever, is praised for fetching the family newspaper, and goes on to fetch every other newspaper on the block. In the next story, only the children love Sam's swimming; he is yelled at by lifeguards and fishermen alike when he splashes through every watering hole he can find. Finally, there is woe to the entire family when Sam is bored and lonely for one long night. Boland has an essential message, captured in both both story and illustrations of this Easy-to-Read: Kids and dogs belong together, especially when it's a fun-loving canine like Sam. An appealing tale. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-8037-1530-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1996
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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