In the end, the cows get burnt out, and who can blame them? Then it’s time for the duck to show his stuff—is more hilarity...
A herd of cows repeatedly comes to the rescue of a hapless family on fair day.
Himmelman’s illustrations are such an artful eyeful—snappily colored and gloriously comic—that it is easy to overlook the pleasure of the simple text, a little motor that in many ways drives the whole production forward. The Greenstalk family is headed to the county fair. Throughout the day, they encounter problems: The car won’t start, there aren’t enough contestants for the three-legged race, the Ferris wheel gives one of the children a case of the jitters. Fear not: Cows to the rescue! (Himmelman has also written books featuring rescues by chickens and pigs.) The cows are visually endearing in the extreme, great galumphing beasts with can-do good cheer. For each and every difficulty, there is a successful conclusion: “That wasn’t scary at all,” claims the Ferris wheel fraidy cat; “Thanks for the lift,” says Farmer Greenstalk when the cows ferry the family to the fair. The timing of the “Cows to the rescue!” is such that even the very young will know just when to come yodeling into a read-aloud, which gives the book a fine, uproarious feel and an excellent measure of involvement.
In the end, the cows get burnt out, and who can blame them? Then it’s time for the duck to show his stuff—is more hilarity in the works? (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-8050-9249-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.
What happens when a robot washes up alone on an island?
“Everything was just right on the island.” Brown beautifully re-creates the first days of Roz, the protagonist of his Wild Robot novels, as she adapts to living in the natural world. A storm-tossed ship, seen in the opening just before the title page, and a packing crate are the only other human-made objects to appear in this close-up look at the robot and her new home. Roz emerges from the crate, and her first thought as she sets off up a grassy hill—”This must be where I belong”—is sweetly glorious, a note of recognition rather than conquest. Roz learns to move, hide, and communicate like the creatures she meets. When she discovers an orphaned egg—and the gosling Brightbill, who eventually hatches—her decision to be his mother seems a natural extension of her adaptation. Once he flies south for the winter, her quiet wait across seasons for his return is a poignant portrayal of separation and change. Brown’s clean, precise lines and deep, light-filled colors offer a sense of what Roz might be seeing, suggesting a place that is alive yet deeply serene and radiant. Though the book stands alone, it adds an immensely appealing dimension to Roz’s world. Round thumbnails offer charming peeks into the island world, depicting Roz’s animal neighbors and Brightbill’s maturation.
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780316669467
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
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