Just lovely.
This British picture book, with more text than usual for the format, tells the adventures of Albie, a dog, who is looking for his mate, Nellie.
While the book’s design is rather staid—illustrations in full bleed that run past the gutter and text on the rest of the white page with some black-and-white spot illustrations—its content is not. The story’s text is robust and rambles conversationally (in a very good way) as it details what Albie sees and smells and hears on his adventure to find Nellie. Author Milton (author/title pun duly noted) has a way with words as he introduces American readers to an English countryside in summer. His observations are keen and ingenuous, just the sort a dog may have, and this artless feel is echoed in illustrator Elliott’s watercolors. White outlines give body to a riot of color and naïve forms, and the overall feeling is one of delight. The story is simple: Albie wakes up in the cozy kitchen and discovers that his boon companion, Nellie, is missing. He trots outside and investigates the garden, meadow, seashore, and town. Then Albie, (after an adventure in town involving sausages) finds himself drawn to a cave in the heart of the mountain, where he meets Gwendolyn, an ancient dragon who helps him find Nellie. Nellie has never been in trouble, though; quite the opposite, and the ending is a satisfyingly happy one.
Just lovely. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-912213-64-1
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Graffeg/Trafalgar
Review Posted Online: Sept. 29, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2018
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones.
Not even the arrival of autumn can cool down this impetuous squirrel.
Although Squirrel is skeptical about Bird’s vegetable patch (“Nothing is HAPPENING!”), Bird does produce five (count them) lovely pumpkins. Squirrel picks out a favorite: “The enormous orange one.” Bird hints that Squirrel might want to help out; Squirrel sets out to fetch some work gloves and returns to find only four pumpkins. The frequently distracted Squirrel notices more gourds disappearing and leaps to the conclusion that a thief is near. And where’s Bird?! Has Squirrel’s pal also been taken? Diligently detecting, Squirrel finds clues—peck marks, footprints, and more—and produces a sketch of the suspect. As readers will guess, each clue turns out to point to one of Squirrel and Bird’s friends. Turns out Bird was delivering pumpkins to their pals while saving the big one to give to “my very best friend,” Squirrel. But why does Squirrel haul it up a tree? “So the Pumpkin Thief can’t find it, of course!” A page of pumpkin facts provides the learning component common to all titles in this series. Once more, readers will enjoy the pleasure of prediction and repetition, Squirrel’s silly persistence, Bird’s generosity, and the vibrant color illustrations, balancing orange with green.
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 28, 2026
ISBN: 9781464268076
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2026
Only for dedicated fans of the series.
When a kid gets the part of the ninja master in the school play, it finally seems to be the right time to tackle the closet monster.
“I spot my monster right away. / He’s practicing his ROAR. / He almost scares me half to death, / but I won’t be scared anymore!” The monster is a large, fluffy poison-green beast with blue hands and feet and face and a fluffy blue-and-green–striped tail. The kid employs a “bag of tricks” to try to catch the monster: in it are a giant wind-up shark, two cans of silly string, and an elaborate cage-and-robot trap. This last works, but with an unexpected result: the monster looks sad. Turns out he was only scaring the boy to wake him up so they could be friends. The monster greets the boy in the usual monster way: he “rips a massive FART!!” that smells like strawberries and lime, and then they go to the monster’s house to meet his parents and play. The final two spreads show the duo getting ready for bed, which is a rather anticlimactic end to what has otherwise been a rambunctious tale. Elkerton’s bright illustrations have a TV-cartoon aesthetic, and his playful beast is never scary. The narrator is depicted with black eyes and hair and pale skin. Wallace’s limping verses are uninspired at best, and the scansion and meter are frequently off.
Only for dedicated fans of the series. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-4894-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
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