Agee (The Return of Freddy LeGrand, 1992, etc.) scores again with this utterly engaging tale of interplanetary friendship. Leaving behind Lulu, a small alien that looks like a cross between a duck and a shmoo, Dmitri returns to Earth after gathering moon rocks for two years to find that no one remembers him. His cargo has been rendered worthless by the exotic prizes brought back by other space explorers. He despondently throws his sack in the trash and wanders off to would-be anonymity. He doesn't see Lulu waddle out of his bag; she quickly becomes a huge public sensation. Ignoring the crowds, however, Lulu draws a bubbleheaded figure over and over, until Dmitri appears to see what all the fuss is about, and the two are happily reunited. Agee uses broad brushstrokes and heavy lines, but his figures, especially Lulu, are surprisingly expressive, and the story ends with a flourish as Dmitri and Lulu lead a parade beneath humongous effigy balloons. The last line of the book leads readers right back to its beginning, where they will discover just how Lulu arrived on this planet. A charmer. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 30, 1996
ISBN: 0-06-205074-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1996
Give this child’s-eye view of a day at the beach with an attentive father high marks for coziness: “When your ball blows across the sand and into the ocean and starts to drift away, your daddy could say, Didn’t I tell you not to play too close to the waves? But he doesn’t. He wades out into the cold water. And he brings your ball back to the beach and plays roll and catch with you.” Alley depicts a moppet and her relaxed-looking dad (to all appearances a single parent) in informally drawn beach and domestic settings: playing together, snuggling up on the sofa and finally hugging each other goodnight. The third-person voice is a bit distancing, but it makes the togetherness less treacly, and Dad’s mix of love and competence is less insulting, to parents and children both, than Douglas Wood’s What Dads Can’t Do (2000), illus by Doug Cushman. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: May 23, 2005
ISBN: 0-618-00361-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2005
Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind.
The cool beans again step up to do a timorous fellow legume a fava…this time at the pool.
Will a rash decision to tackle the multistory super-slide lead to another embarrassing watery fail for our shy protagonist? Nope, for up the stairs right behind comes a trio of cool beans, each a different type and color, all clad in nothing but dark shades. They make an offer: “It’s not as scary if you go with friends!” As the knobby nerd explains once the thrilling ride down is done, “They all realized that I just needed some encouragement and support.” Just to make sure that both cool and uncool readers get the message, the narrator lets us know that “there are plenty of kind folks who have my back. They’re always there when I need them.” The beany bonhomie doesn’t end at the bottom of the slide, with all gliding down to the shallow end of the pool (“3 INCHES. NO DIVING”) for a splashy finale. This latest early reader starring characters from John and Oswald’s immensely popular Food Group series will be a hit with fans. Fun accessories, such as a bean who rocks pink cat-eye frames, add some pizzazz to the chromatically and somatotypically varied cast.
Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind. (Easy reader. 5-7)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9780063329560
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
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