Sweet but ultimately unsatisfying.
A farm boy turned mail carrier delivers the best gift of all.
Pale-skinned young George lives on a farm with his parents, two brothers, and cherry pie–baking Grannie; he loves the barnyard animals and his dog, Angus, many of whom tag along when he goes fishing. But war breaks out, and George must leave his beloved farm to become a soldier. By the time he returns, the farm has been sold, Angus and Grannie have died, and, puzzlingly, not one family member is mentioned again. George takes a job as a mail carrier. The neighborhood dogs adore him, and he becomes a small-town Pied Piper whose antics cheerily entertain the neighborhood children. On his route, he spots morose Theresa Morano, still hoping for her sailor son’s return from the war. George finds a puppy and gives it to Theresa, who finds herself revitalized. Grateful, she gives George a gift of cherry pie—his very favorite. Ritchie’s idyllic portrayals of the countryside and town are only briefly interrupted by one snowy, bloodless war scene. The art is delightful, and George is a cheery protagonist, but the story will leave many kids with questions. Theresa sighs over a “one-eared Tom cat that ran off”; that same feline is inexplicably seen on George’s lap at the end. Youngsters may also wonder why the pie box Theresa gives George has the words “Spare that tree” and a canceled George Washington stamp on it.
Sweet but ultimately unsatisfying. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781772783414
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Pajama Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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