Digital art in an accomplished, painterly style adds both noir atmosphere and plenty of sight gags to this tale of two unsuspecting gourmands who accept an invitation to a weekend’s feasting at the home of a mysterious new neighbor. Glenda and Horace Pork-Fowler, a goose and a pig, respectively, are initially put off when their host fails to appear, but that doesn’t last long as—thanks to an elaborate set of robotic arms—full tables, a stuffed fridge, bountiful picnic hampers, and comfy beds await them. For readers who miss the clues provided by Eatum Hall’s collection of art featuring wolves and prey, and shelves filled with wolfish bric-a-brac, Kelly provides glimpses of a snout withdrawing into the shadows, a furry silhouette watching a bank of closed-circuit TV screens, and a blueprint for an oversized pie-making appliance. When that device fails beneath the weight of its rotund intended victims, the Pork-Fowlers obliviously motor back to their own home, Dunfastin, leaving readers to admire their unwavering devotion to mealtime—and to laugh as their supposed nemesis is hoist by his own pie-tard. A confection, but a delicious one. (Picture book. 6-9)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-7636-2594-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Annie (6) is so good at fixing things that her father gives her a tool chest; with her pony cart as a fix-it shop, she goes out into the world, where she finds plenty to do: removing a mouse from a cello so that it plays sweetly again; bandaging a goose's broken wing; even, as ``captain'' of her cart, marrying a couple. Once all the many details are neatly woven together, Annie lets the pony take her home. Whimsical but sweet; the quiet mood is nicely supported by the illustrations' aura of tender concern. (Fiction/Young reader. 6-9)
Pub Date: April 30, 1991
ISBN: 0-8050-1596-5
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1991
An earnest little lecture of a book (one of the Redfeather series) whose two morals are: ``If at first you don't succeed...'' and ``If you want to learn how to do something, watch an expert.'' It's an amiable enough story about third-grader Alvin, who can't draw but must produce something to be displayed on Parents' Night at school—but it's also preachier than any young reader is likely to sit still for. Illustrations not seen. (Young reader/Fiction. 6- 9)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-8050-2227-9
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1992
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