A lightweight addition to the often charming Froggy canon. Froggy has to go for his annual check-up at the doctor’s office. At first he’s happy about this, for it means a day off from school. Then he remembers that it might also mean a shot and his enthusiasm quickly dampens. It’s not long, however, before the rambunctious frog is giving the doctor the Froggy business: making the doctor’s hair curl with his dead-fly breath (“I guess I forgot to brush,” he admits), yelling into the stethoscope, accidentally delivering a blow to the doctor’s chops when his reflexes are tested. The doctor does turn the tables when she brandishes the hypodermic, but she’s only kidding and Froggy escapes without puncture. It is all very airy—though energized by Remkiewicz’s bustling watercolors—and fairly aimless as well. There is very little meat for kids to chew on in this story, little even by way of entertainment. Froggy is typically good at offering a little direction to young readers—about sportsmanship, for instance, or how not to eat in restaurants—but no such is tendered here, be it positive or negative example, except for a slight introduction to the event. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-670-03578-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
As a counting book, fun. As a new Sendak book, by its mere existence, notable.
A posthumously published tale of overly prolific bunnies from a master of the picture-book form.
A young magician bows before readers and releases a rabbit from his hat. More and more rabbits appear. As the book counts from one rabbit to 10, the boy becomes increasingly frustrated with the sheer number of bunnies appearing from his headwear. His irritation is alleviated only when the narrator declares, “So then—he made them vanish again!” Now the numbers count down, and with every rabbit gone the child grows distinctly happier and more lighthearted. Originally created in 1970 as a pamphlet for a fundraiser for Philadelphia’s Rosenbach Museum, this book is visually similar to such Sendak crowd-pleasers as the Nutshell Library titles, particularly One Was Johnny (1962). Adult fans seeking the darker and weightier subject matter associated with the author’s later works would do best to look elsewhere. Children, however, will be drawn to the escalating tide of fuzzy bunnies and will share the protagonist’s sense of satisfaction at watching them go. The artwork is filled with simple charm, and the counting element proves to be a nice plus as well. The protagonist has skin the white of the page.
As a counting book, fun. As a new Sendak book, by its mere existence, notable. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9780062644671
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Yummy cuteness for toddlers and preschoolers.
Celebrate dumplings from around the world.
Rhyming couplets introduce the idea that dumplings are ubiquitous. “We’re little dumplings! / We’re found everywhere! / All the world’s cultures / have dumplings to share.” Written for very young readers, the poem sticks to generalities and few specifics. “We take many shapes, / some big and some small. / And we’re delicious! / You’ll love us all!” Accompanying digital illustrations dominated by bright blocks of color portray diverse people with dot eyes and smiley faces, but it is the exuberant dumplings themselves that steal the show. Dozens of different types of dumplings with kawaii-style happy faces populate landscapes, are fried in pans, or are served on platters. Every happy dumpling is captioned with its name (from wontons to pierogi to samosas), and backmatter lists every one that appears in the book along with its pronunciation and associated regions. No information is given about what fills them or what they taste like, and the poem’s meter is often uneven, making it awkward to read aloud. Little ones won’t mind—they’ll be captivated by the plethora of wrapped cuteness, and the simple message will resonate. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Yummy cuteness for toddlers and preschoolers. (Board book. 2-5)Pub Date: May 9, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-79721-692-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2023
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