Though eccentric and original, this offbeat journey may struggle to find an appreciative audience.
In this quirky Australian import, four sentient statues leave the museum where they have been on display and return home to Rome.
The statues have ways of entertaining themselves, but they are bored and homesick. So they bid their fellow statue friends from the ancient Egyptian exhibit farewell and don clothing from the lost and found in order to “blend in without attracting too much attention.” Dressed as a ballerina, a dinosaur, a businessman, and a baby (which generates much of the visual humor), they make their way back to Rome by boat and are disappointed to find it much changed. Rebuffed by their esteemed leader, a statue of Julius Caesar, they wander the countryside until a pink-skinned old woman takes them in. Freshly bathed and comfortably ensconced in her garden, they at last feel at home. The wry first-person narrative includes faux Latin words created by occasionally adding -us or -um (i.e., boring-um, returnus). The deadpan delivery contrasts amusingly with the outlandish but ultimately anticlimactic action. Camp’s illustrations have a childlike charm with simple, sometimes lumpy outlines and unexpected, occasionally blotchy hues. That childlike tone doesn’t quite mesh with the sophisticated humor, however, which relies on a grasp of history and culture many young readers may lack.
Though eccentric and original, this offbeat journey may struggle to find an appreciative audience. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2026
ISBN: 9781763571860
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Berbay Publishing
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2026
The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted...
Reinvention is the name of the game for two blobs of clay.
A blue-eyed gray blob and a brown-eyed brown blob sit side by side, unsure as to what’s going to happen next. The gray anticipates an adventure, while the brown appears apprehensive. A pair of hands descends, and soon, amid a flurry of squishing and prodding and poking and sculpting, a handsome gray wolf and a stately brown owl emerge. The hands disappear, leaving the friends to their own devices. The owl is pleased, but the wolf convinces it that the best is yet to come. An ear pulled here and an extra eye placed there, and before you can shake a carving stick, a spurt of frenetic self-exploration—expressed as a tangled black scribble—reveals a succession of smug hybrid beasts. After all, the opportunity to become a “pig-e-phant” doesn’t come around every day. But the sound of approaching footsteps panics the pair of Picassos. How are they going to “fix [them]selves” on time? Soon a hippopotamus and peacock are staring bug-eyed at a returning pair of astonished hands. The creative naiveté of the “clay mates” is perfectly captured by Petty’s feisty, spot-on dialogue: “This was your idea…and it was a BAD one.” Eldridge’s endearing sculpted images are photographed against the stark white background of an artist’s work table to great effect.
The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted fun of their own . (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 20, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-316-30311-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader!
Fun with friends makes for a great day.
Norbit, a salmon-colored worm with a pink kerchief, joyfully greets the day and everyone he encounters. “Hello, friends! It’s time for fun with the sun! Let’s play!” He and his menagerie of forest pals—including the sun, who grows limbs and descends from the sky—exuberantly engage in various forms of physical activity such as jumping, going down a slide, spinning around, and watching the clouds go by. Young readers will readily relate, as these are games that most children are familiar with. As day turns to night, Norbit says farewell to Sun and welcomes Moon with an invitation to continue the fun. Watkins has created a vivid world of movement and merriment. Her illustrations feature bright bursts of color that match the energy of the text, with most sentences ending in an exclamation point. The author/illustrator incorporates many elements that make for an ideal early-reading experience (despite the use of a contraction or two): art free from clutter, text consisting of words with only one or two syllables, and repetition and recurring bits, such as a continued game of hide-and-seek with Sun. Inspired by never-before-seen sketches from the Dr. Seuss Collection archives at the University of California San Diego, this is the first title for Seuss Studios, a new imprint for original stories from “emerging authors and illustrators” who “honor Seuss’s hallmark spirit of creativity and imagination.”
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader! (author's note) (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780593646212
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Seuss Studios
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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