Having neither aged nor mellowed since his Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (1972), Alexander digs in his heels as the rest of the family packs up to move. Taking him as seriously as he apparently takes himself, his parents suggest he pay last visits to favorite people and places, so off he stomps, loudly declaring his intention to stay. Glasser is a skilled copyist; the black-and- white drawings, stated on the cover to be rendered ``in the style of Ray Cruz'' (he illustrated the first book), modernize clothing but leave furniture, family, and toys in a time warp. The resolution doesn't break new ground either; going-away presents, the promise of a puppy, and the prospect of a room of his own buy Alexander's consent. For Viorst, that's just treading water. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-689-31958-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1995
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Plainly the beginning of a beautiful, if ouchy, friendship.
A new friendship goes through some literal growing pains in this woodland episode.
Strawberry the peaceable sasquatch is used to a solitary life of “alone things” like taking walks and making portrait collages of hairy relatives from seeds and berries, but she decides to take up an offer from Nutty the squirrel to hang out together. Little does she suspect that her impulsive buddy’s fondness for climbing, messy pranks, and “snack sneaking” (say that three times) will lead to her falling from an outhouse roof and several trees, not to mention narrow escapes from an irate brown-skinned lumberjack and a marshmallow-baited trap set by “Squatch Watchers.” Next day, scratched and bandaged, Strawberry proposes that the two just watch clouds and maybe make a selfie collage…which suits the similarly battered, still-sticky squirrel just fine. To underscore the tale’s tongue-in-cheek tone, Monroe kits out her shaggy cryptid (who, if only about the face, resembles her Monkey With a Toolbelt) with pink slippers and a shopping basket, comically exaggerates the size difference between her two furry friends, and just for fun has them assemble some oddly familiar looking artworks as sight gags. Divided into panels, with characters communicating in speech bubbles, the book has an appealing graphic-novel vibe. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Plainly the beginning of a beautiful, if ouchy, friendship. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781728404660
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Carolrhoda
Review Posted Online: Feb. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Monk takes a didactic tack in presenting one girl’s ancestry, weaving into a story of several generations the scene of her African-American mother and Caucasian father’s wedding. The stumbling narration establishes that the protagonist is in sixth grade, looking back on a summer weekend before she entered second grade. Her loving Aunt Prudence, known as Aunt Poogee, takes the narrator to an open-air market, where they encounter another relative, Miss Violet. Miss Violet asks outright, “My goodness, Prudence, is the child mixed?” The question haunts the girl, whose name is revealed as Hope, until Aunt Poogee steps in with a bedtime story that is overblown, invoking the faith of immigrants and slaves across generations who “look forward to a future where you will be proud to be part of a race that is simply ‘human.’ “ The sentiments are strong, but the delivery borders on mawkish. Sturdy faces, tender postures, and vibrant backgrounds considerably enliven the bibliotherapeutic proceedings. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: March 9, 1999
ISBN: 1-57505-230-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Carolrhoda
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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