Get ready for gales of giggles as young Pinky regales her little brother Tyler Doo with a truly daffy tale. Unable to find her shoes one morning, Pinky at last rushes off to school with slices of bologna on her feet—to discover the rest of her class beset with the same problem, and shod in a variety of foodstuffs, from a pasta wrap to roasted chickens. Jinkins and his collaborator illustrate this unusual, to say the least, predicament with flat cartoon characters superimposed on color photos of typical school and domestic scenes, with unusual deftness. The author also tucks in zany multiple choices, matching games, a maze, and other painless pedagogical devices. When school lunch turns out to include the likes of Barbecued Cowboy Boots and Frozen Flip-Flops, Pinky Dinky puts her brain to work and comes up with the neat, obvious, unappetizing solution—and, she reassures readers (along with her listener), “since this was a made-up story, you don’t have to worry about dirty food or germs or STINKY FEET!” Inspired silliness, with humor and interactive features perfectly pitched for its intended audience. (Easy reader. 7-8)
Pub Date: May 25, 2004
ISBN: 0-375-82914-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A rural, pleasantly ramshackle garage is the setting for this lively book. Each spread features the station and its forecourt, with a flurry of activity accompanying each turn of the page: The garage opens up for the day; a bashed-in car arrives; a brief squall soaks a lady, her swain, and their tony convertible. Over it all presides Mr. Fingers, a harmlessly gangsterish type in striped trousers and white jacket. Dupasquier (Andy's Pirate Ship, 1994, etc.) keeps the text quick, simple, and hand-in-glove with the illustrations (``Mick and Mack start to work on Mr. Walker's car. Pete serves the first customer''). These watercolors are equally nimble, deliberately cartoonish in the linework and saturated colors. The front and rear flap covers fold out with an array of questions and puzzles pertaining to the story. Bright, boisterous, fun; for children who take to the format, there are two companion volumes: A Busy Day at the Airport (ISBN 1-56402-591-8) and A Busy Day at the Building Site (592-6). (Picture book. 4+)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1996
ISBN: 1-56402-590-X
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 1995
Two-digit subtraction is the subject of this MathStart picture book, which beats its one-note song slowly and relentlessly. Murphy builds this story, the latest in his series of math fundamentals, around a group of young shark swimmers who have a chance to attend swim camp if they can complete 75 laps among themselves over a week’s time. The coach has set up an easel by the pool, tallying their laps and then subtracting them from the running total on the easel. And that, quite simply, is how far Murphy takes the narrative, if such flimsy material can be called a story. There is nothing here to entice any child who is anxious, uninterested, or confused about math to get involved with either the subtraction or the story angle of the book. Murphy might just as well have presented a handful of subtraction problems on each page and forgotten all about the vapid story line, because the only kids who will find interest in these pages are those who really love mathematics, and there isn’t enough here for them to chew on to any satisfaction. (Picture book. 7-8)
Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2001
ISBN: 0-06-028030-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2000
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