Crabby's and Plankton’s attempts at understanding and friendship provide good examples for beginning readers.
The grumpy crab and cheerful plankton are back for another four chapters of miscommunication following series opener Hello, Crabby! (2019).
Once again, Crabby just wants a day at the beach: “The wind in my face. / The spray in my eyes. / The kelp in my claws. / It is enough to make a crab crabby.” Sociable Plankton tries to get Crabby to play familiar childhood games: guess who, Simon says, hide-and-seek, and tag. In each short chapter, Crabby and Plankton’s repartee, loaded with double meanings, leads to misunderstandings that new readers will easily understand. For example, when Plankton proclaims, “YAY! We can play Simon Says!” Crabby replies, “Who is Simon?” Finally they agree to play Crabby says. Of course, Crabby’s first command is “Crabby says— / stop playing Crabby Says!” Color-coded speech bubbles make following their arguments easy. Appropriately repetitive dialogue-only text, uncluttered backgrounds, and a small trim size help new readers make the transition to longer books. Throughout, Crabby and Plankton remain true to their personas. Crabby is grumpy but polite—not actively mean. The persistent Plankton, though increasingly exasperated, is ultimately patient. Neither abandons civility and courtesy just because they have different interests or styles.
Crabby's and Plankton’s attempts at understanding and friendship provide good examples for beginning readers. (Graphic early reader. 4-6)Pub Date: July 30, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-28157-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: April 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Never have expectations been more thoroughly set up, and then gleefully confounded.
Ever a guilty pleasure anyway, the popular but violent preschool hand rhyme takes a gothic turn in this startling iteration.
Doerrfeld concocts an oh-so-sweet visual story line for the lyric, setting a snub-nosed, big-eyed bunny baker off in pursuit of a crew of cute little cupcake rustlers. At first Little Bunny delivers only gentle cuffs with her oven mitt as she recovers the cupcakes, and she shows remorse when the pink-haired, pink-cheeked Good Fairy descends to warn that she’ll be turned into a monster if she keeps it up. But as the mice, joined by several birds and squirrels, continue to snatch bites, Foo Foo’s mild annoyance intensifies to such outright rage that the climactic transformation definitely turns out to be a tactical mistake on the Good Fairy’s part. Bright, simply painted pictures set the chase on a pleasant sward with an open, woodsy backdrop populated by relentlessly adorable little creatures, none of whom appear to be more than momentarily discomforted by all that bopping.
Never have expectations been more thoroughly set up, and then gleefully confounded. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Jan. 19, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3470-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2011
PROFILES
Pfister has a following, so adults who recognize his name will likely be drawn to the (hologram-free) artwork. Others may...
Animal alphabet books abound, so it takes something special to make one stand out; this one doesn’t have it.
First published in Switzerland, this American adaptation highlights each animal’s characteristics in a two-line, first-person rhyme that offers a clue to the identity of the animal depicted above it. “I have scales and a toothy smile. / Just don’t call me crocodile.” Below the rhyme is the animal’s identity: ALLIGATOR. Each page features one animal illustrated in brightly colored paints set against contrasting backgrounds. Textures resembling sponge-paintings add visual interest. Many of the creatures are familiar, but others are unusual, making the guessing-game aspect hard for preschoolers: C for chameleon; J for jaguar; N for numbat; Q for quetzal; R for raven. Unfortunately, two of the animals are imaginary, which disrupts the overall formulation. U is for unicorn and X for “xylophonius”: “Made-up creatures are so much fun. / Give it a try! Can you make one?” As the book lacks backmatter, the only key to identifying the animal is in the rhyme.
Pfister has a following, so adults who recognize his name will likely be drawn to the (hologram-free) artwork. Others may want to choose from among the more classic animal ABCs. (Alphabet book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-7358-4136-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: July 2, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2013
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