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WHY THE POSSUM HAS A LARGE GRIN

Name: WHY THE POSSUM HAS A LARGE GRIN
Author: Johnette Downing
ISBN: 978-1-4556-1639-8

adapted by Johnette Downing & illustrated by Christina Wald ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 15, 2012

Nothing to smile about.

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Possum convinces hungry Deer to bang his head into a tree full of ripe persimmons, a sight that amuses the trickster so much that his grin sticks forever.

Downing (Why the Crawfish Lives in the Mud, 2009) adapts this Choctaw legend, extending the narrative and adding an embellishment. Not only does Possum get a grin, the bumps that rise on Deer's battered head grow into antlers—two origin stories in one. The author begins her tale in a traditional storyteller’s manner: “Sometime past, there was one long, long, very long dry season north of Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana.” Hints of dialect continue—“go to the top of that there hill”; “hit this here persimmon tree so hard”; and so forth—but, surprisingly given the experience of the writer, a longtime children’s musician and entertainer, her narrative feels forced. It doesn't flow smoothly as a read-aloud, and the story arc is flat. Wald’s lifelike acrylic paintings focus on the two main characters, often placed against a plain background. They show well. But this Possum has little personality. For a possum pourquoi tale with real child appeal, choose Colleen Salley’s Why Epossumondas Has No Hair on His Tail, illustrated by Janet Stevens (2004). Finally, the title lacks the customary background and source information usually provided about traditional material.

Nothing to smile about. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2012

ISBN: 978-1-4556-1639-8

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Pelican

Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2012

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
MADEMOISELLE GRANDS DOIGTS
by Johnette Downing ; illustrated by Heather Stanley

- BOOK REVIEW
MUMBO JUMBO, STAY OUT OF THE GUMBO
by Johnette Downing ; illustrated by Jennifer Lindsley

- BOOK REVIEW
TODAY IS MONDAY IN NEW YORK
by Johnette Downing & illustrated by Deborah Ousley Kadair

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PUG BLASTS OFF

From the Diary of a Pug series , Vol. 1

by Sonia Sander & Kyla May ; illustrated by Kyla May ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2019

Totes adorbs.

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A cuddly, squishy pug’s puggy-wuggy diary.

Equipped with both #pugunicorn and #pughotdog outfits, pug Baron von Bubbles (aka Bub) is the kind of dog that always dresses to impress. Bub also makes lots of memorable faces, such as the “Hey, you’re not the boss of me!” expression aimed at Duchess, the snooty pink house cat. Some of Bub’s favorite things include skateboarding, a favorite teddy, and eating peanut butter. Bub also loves Bella, who adopted Bub from a fair—it was “love at first sniff.” Together, Bub and Bella do a lot of arts and crafts. Their latest project: entering Bella’s school’s inventor challenge by making a super-duper awesome rocket. But, when the pesky neighborhood squirrel, Nutz, makes off with Bub’s bear, Bub accidentally ruins their project. How will they win the contest? More importantly, how will Bella ever forgive him? May’s cutesy, full-color cartoon art sets the tone for this pug-tastic romp for the new-to–chapter-books crowd. Emojilike faces accentuate Bub’s already expressive character design. Bub’s infectious first-person narration pushes the silly factor off the charts. In addition to creating the look and feel of a diary, the lined paper helps readers follow the eight-chapter story. Most pages have fewer than five sentences, often broken into smaller sections. Additional text appears in color-coded speech bubbles. Bella presents white.

Totes adorbs. (Fiction. 5-7)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-338-53003-2

Page Count: 80

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: July 13, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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ROCKET PUPPIES

by William Joyce ; illustrated by William Joyce ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 5, 2024

Powered by whimsy and nostalgia, a doggone adorable tale of superheroes transforming the world for the better.

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Can flying puppies, fueled by people’s hugs, save the world from gloom?

Light-skinned Snarly McBummerpants is busy sending out Mopey Smokes (evil-looking dark brown clouds) from his volcano on the Island of Woe to create a sad state of affairs. But the caped puppies, each equipped with a rocket and hailing from “the outer reaches of NOT-FROM-HERE,” use their abilities to conquer the morose McBummerpants and bring happiness back to everyone’s lives. The meticulously detailed illustrations carry the story, dark colors turning to rainbow hues and frowns turning to smiles. From Big Brad to Tiny Brad, the smallest, most powerful puppy, who “[licks] a kiss right on the tip of Snarly McBummerpants’s nose,” these absolutely endearing pooches elicit a universal “AWWWWWWWWWW!” from all who encounter them. Joyce’s witty illustrations depict diverse children and adults who appear to hail from different decades. Two teenagers wear the bobby socks and saddle shoes of the 1940s and ’50s and sit atop a retro soda cooler. Other kids ride the skateboards of a later era. Laurel and Hardy, classic movie performers who may need introduction, are amusingly pictured as bullies turned florists (a little odd, since only Hardy bullied Laurel). Even McBummerpants seems reminiscent of an old-time movie villain. The text is less inventive than the pictures, but the message of good over evil is always timely.

Powered by whimsy and nostalgia, a doggone adorable tale of superheroes transforming the world for the better. (Picture book. 4-7)