Instructive and fun, this will have fans mewing for more.
Let the catstruction begin again!
Fresh off the success of building a mansion for the human mayor of Mewberg, the House Kittens won the contract for the new sports stadium. The adorable crew, headed by architect Marmalade, gets the job done on time, again proving themselves to be more capable than Mewburg’s human residents think such cute kitties should be. Their next project: a new bridge. When Professor von Wigglebottom (masonry and carpentry expert) points out that most bridges cross water, Marmalade suddenly doubts herself and her team. Bubbles, the fluffy white plumber cat, is the only one not afraid of water. The project runs into some trouble; when no other kitties will sign on to help, von Wigglebottom brings in the Demo Doggos. Can Marmalade overcome her prejudice against canines and let the pups actually help, or will there be catastrophic catsequences? Green’s second tale of feline fabricators works just as well as the first. Kitty wordplay dots this tale of interspecies cooperation. The big, friendly, full-color panels are full of cute cats and darling dogs with expressive faces. Real cat and dog behavior (knocking things off tables and sniffing butts) and other sight gags add extra laughs. Background humans are diverse; the furry characters represent multiple breeds within each species group.
Instructive and fun, this will have fans mewing for more. (Graphic fantasy. 6-10)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-62672-831-8
Page Count: 80
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
Another winner from Mills, equally well suited to reading aloud and independent reading.
When Franklin School principal Mr. Boone announces a pet-show fundraiser, white third-grader Cody—whose lack of skill and interest in academics is matched by keen enthusiasm for and knowledge of animals—discovers his time to shine.
As with other books in this series, the children and adults are believable and well-rounded. Even the dialogue is natural—no small feat for a text easily accessible to intermediate readers. Character growth occurs, organically and believably. Students occasionally, humorously, show annoyance with teachers: “He made mad squinty eyes at Mrs. Molina, which fortunately she didn’t see.” Readers will be kept entertained by Cody’s various problems and the eventual solutions. His problems include needing to raise $10 to enter one of his nine pets in the show (he really wants to enter all of them), his troublesome dog Angus—“a dog who ate homework—actually, who ate everything and then threw up afterward”—struggles with homework, and grappling with his best friend’s apparently uncaring behavior toward a squirrel. Serious values and issues are explored with a light touch. The cheery pencil illustrations show the school’s racially diverse population as well as the memorable image of Mr. Boone wearing an elephant costume. A minor oddity: why does a child so immersed in animal facts call his male chicken a rooster but his female chickens chickens?
Another winner from Mills, equally well suited to reading aloud and independent reading. (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: June 14, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-374-30223-8
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look...
Winning actually isn’t everything, as jazz-happy Rooster learns when he goes up against the legendary likes of Mules Davis and Ella Finchgerald at the barnyard talent show.
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look good—particularly after his “ ‘Hen from Ipanema’ [makes] / the barnyard chickies swoon.”—but in the end the competition is just too stiff. No matter: A compliment from cool Mules and the conviction that he still has the world’s best band soon puts the strut back in his stride. Alexander’s versifying isn’t always in tune (“So, he went to see his cousin, / a pianist of great fame…”), and despite his moniker Rooster plays an electric bass in Bower’s canted country scenes. Children are unlikely to get most of the jokes liberally sprinkled through the text, of course, so the adults sharing it with them should be ready to consult the backmatter, which consists of closing notes on jazz’s instruments, history and best-known musicians.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-58536-688-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
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