Here’s hoping Hugo’s forthcoming tale will have more bounce.
Billy Goat bites off more than he should.
“Nat the Cat made a breakfast to share / with her friends Billy Goat and Hugo Hare. / She was going to make a breakfast treat, / with some lovely homemade bread to eat.” Nat has set the dough out to rise when Billy arrives early. Billy doesn’t want to wait for Hugo, so to distract him, Nat suggests Billy set the table. While Nat is out gathering flowers for the centerpiece, Billy sets the table…but he just can’t resist the jug of juice. Then he sees the bread and takes a bite before he realizes it isn’t cooked. Hugo and Nat arrive, and Billy has to swallow—and then his tummy starts to bloat. Hugo and Billy try to hide the belly from Nat, but Billy confesses. After a breakfast of store-bought juice and what’s left of the dough (now cooked), Nat writes a song about Billy’s impatience, and the friends sing along. Alborough’s first of two companion books to Nat the Cat’s Sunny Smile (2013) is less charming than its predecessor. The song that appears as sheet music in the story and is available online is a bit flat and didactic, much like the story itself, and Alborough’s cheery illustrations are chopped up by the talky text.
Here’s hoping Hugo’s forthcoming tale will have more bounce. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-61067-190-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kane Miller
Review Posted Online: Jan. 7, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Better choices are Steven Kroll’s Stuff!, illustrated by Steve Cox (2009), and Margot Zemach's gold-standard, Caldecott...
A modern variant on a classic Eastern European folktale.
Waldman, this time with co-author Feutl, offers another adaptation (Clever Rachel, 2009, and A Sack Full of Feathers, 2007) but with lackluster results. The familiar tale’s modern twist focuses on Daisy’s clutter. She wants a bigger room for all of her stuff, especially with her birthday coming. She is sure she is “going to get lots of presents, and there’s nowhere to put anything.” Daisy initially comes off a bit cranky, but Mom has an idea. Her solution is to give Daisy a special box: “This…will make your room bigger.” The box is full of old toys that were stored in the basement. Daisy is skeptical; her room seems to be shrinking instead of growing. But Mom keeps bringing more of Daisy’s possessions into the room. As the space gets increasingly crowded and Daisy suffers minor injuries from tripping over her multitude of things, she finally decides to pack up the things she does not play with anymore and put it into the donation box for Mitzvah Day. The story does provide plenty of topics for discussion, including how to donate and recycle unwanted items, learning to appreciate what you have and more is not always better. Sadly the lengthy text hampers the book’s flow, and the bright acrylic illustrations add little to entertain young readers.
Better choices are Steven Kroll’s Stuff!, illustrated by Steve Cox (2009), and Margot Zemach's gold-standard, Caldecott Honor–winning It Could Always Be Worse: A Yiddish Folktale (1977). (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-55469-255-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
A charming tale almost any child (and parent) can relate to.
In Brown’s latest bilingual offering, a grumpy little Latina girl gets a subtle lesson in caring, sharing and the pleasures of reading.
Clara is tired of taking out the trash, sharing her things with her seven siblings and reading a book for school each week. Exasperated by her daughter’s grumpiness, Mami sends the girl to the wise curandera (healer) in their building. The curandera tells Clara that she must take out her family’s trash, along with the trash of two of her neighbors. She must also give her favorite toys to her siblings, and she must read five books that week. Unwilling to disobey, Clara follows the woman’s orders, and readers will see the changes Clara misses. Her neighbors shower her with hugs and compliments for taking out their trash. Her brothers and sisters, amazed at their sister’s generosity, invite Clara to play all week. At the library, she discovers books that she really wants to read. In fact, she stops frowning. When the curandera’s assigned tasks end and Clara returns to her grumpy old self, she has just the epiphany the curandera knew she would. Well-translated Spanish text is set below the English text through most of the book, with Muriada’s colorful mixed-media illustrations on the facing pages.
A charming tale almost any child (and parent) can relate to. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-55885-700-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Piñata Books/Arte Público
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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