Deceptively simple but delightfully entertaining—if ethnically one-note.
A charming gray-and-white dog of indeterminate breed narrates a guide to finding a home and getting along with a new owner.
The story begins with a page of hand-printed text with an illustration of the dog holding a pencil and notebook. It describes a group of dogs choosing their owners, with subtle similarities in the physical appearances of the dog-and-owner pairs. While the dogs are different in size and shape, unfortunately the human characters are all Caucasian throughout the story. The narrating dog details experiences in the home in a drolly humorous fashion, with some funny scenes of canine mischief such as sniffing at a woman’s skirt and using the actual toilet in the bathroom as part of toilet training. Loose illustrations in pencil with watercolor wash effectively use a limited palette of grays and red with contrasting pops of bright turquoise. Both story and illustrations are amusing and understated in an appealing way, capturing both the antics of a cavorting canine and its enduring love for its owner. Though originally published in England, this story has a French flair, reflected in the young owner’s red-striped sailor shirt and the dog’s jaunty red collar, as well as in the comedic sensibility.
Deceptively simple but delightfully entertaining—if ethnically one-note. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0152-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: April 28, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2015
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories.
Kids know vegetables can be scary, but rarely are edible roots out to get someone. In this whimsical mock-horror tale, carrots nearly frighten the whiskers off Jasper Rabbit, an interloper at Crackenhopper Field.
Jasper loves carrots, especially those “free for the taking.” He pulls some in the morning, yanks out a few in the afternoon, and comes again at night to rip out more. Reynolds builds delicious suspense with succinct language that allows understatements to be fully exploited in Brown’s hilarious illustrations. The cartoon pictures, executed in pencil and then digitally colored, are in various shades of gray and serve as a perfectly gloomy backdrop for the vegetables’ eerie orange on each page. “Jasper couldn’t get enough carrots … / … until they started following him.” The plot intensifies as Jasper not only begins to hear the veggies nearby, but also begins to see them everywhere. Initially, young readers will wonder if this is all a product of Jasper’s imagination. Was it a few snarling carrots or just some bathing items peeking out from behind the shower curtain? The ending truly satisfies both readers and the book’s characters alike. And a lesson on greed goes down like honey instead of a forkful of spinach.
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0297-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
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