Simple but sweet.
Little Hippo spends the day selling goods from his red wagon to his fellow animals.
Playing at shopkeeper, Little Hippo tows around a variety of objects. Selling them for five cents apiece, he earns enough money to buy something special for Mama Hippo. Ostrich selects a snazzy pair of sunglasses, Long Neck Giraffe chooses a colorful scarf, and Graceful Gazelle purchases a Frisbee. The setup and resolution are quite simple: Little Hippo spends the day as a shopkeeper and uses his money to buy something nice for his mother. But the journey along the way is enjoyable. The illustrations make use of bright colors: an ever-present bright blue sky, rich yellows, and vibrant shades of red. Shopkeeper Hippo is darling in his blue apron and visor, though not all the animals are quite as adorable—Big Hairy Gorilla looks a bit unnerving, for example. Little Hippo is assisted by a small yellow monkey who is never mentioned in the text but is a helpful addition to the business. This tagalong pal also does some silly things and has a storyline with an ending that parallels Little Hippo’s—a fun visual detail sure to appeal to attentive readers. The use of onomatopoeia, like the repetitive “squeakidy-squeak” sound of the wagon rolling, makes this one a good read-aloud choice.
Simple but sweet. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Dec. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781635925937
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Astra Young Readers
Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2023
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Perfect for every underdog who wants to have a say.
A dog-loving child encourages a less-than-enthusiastic younger one to imagine they’re both canines.
From the first declaration—“I’d be a big dog! And you’d be a little one!”—readers know who’s calling the shots. Initially, the protagonists cavort off the page and through the neighborhood together, performing doggy capers such as tail wagging, stick carrying, and dirt digging. But by the time they encounter a multitude of like-minded creatures at the dog park, the disgruntled small pup is exhibiting out-and-out rebellion: “Being a dog is YOUR idea! Sometimes I HAVE IDEAS TOO!” The narrative wraps up with the younger child pretending to be a different animal entirely—cleverly foreshadowed through subtle details in the illustrations. Even the endpapers—lively silhouettes of dogs in the beginning and many different animals in closing—extend the theme to suggest the imaginative possibilities of pretend play. Cheerful, lightly hued colors fit the whimsical mood, while expressive body language allows the art to tell the story with a minimum of words. Ending on a surprising note, with a sweet compromise between the two main characters, the tale gives both kids the freedom to embrace their own preferences and styles—while still enjoying their game.
Perfect for every underdog who wants to have a say. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2025
ISBN: 9780316581721
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2025
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.
A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.
A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
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BOOK REVIEW
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