A solid storytime and lap-read that will amuse with each repeated read.
Dynamic duo Donaldson and Scheffler (Superworm, 2014, etc.) are back with a tale full of high drama, medical emergencies, and dragon crash landings in this sequel to A Gold Star for Zog (2012).
In this outing, the pair reintroduces readers to the trio of traveling doctors: Gadabout the Great is an expert surgeon, Pearl has the distinction of being both a princess and a physician, and dragon Zog is a fire-breathing ambulance—albeit one that has some trouble with his landings. Flying from kingdom to kingdom and curing the maladies of the magical and nonmagical hoi polloi, the threesome passes Pearl’s uncle’s castle and decides to make a social call. Unfortunately, Pearl’s kingly uncle does not approve of a princess with outside employment. In a page turn, Pearl is transformed from medico to captive in a frilly dress, forced to embroider cushions and arrange flowers. As Gadabout and Zog try to save their friend, the king becomes ill with an unknown ailment. Teamwork saves the day (and cures the king of his misogynist attitude) thanks to Pearl’s medical research and Gadabout’s and Zog’s abilities to gather healing ingredients from past patients. Donaldson’s rhyme scheme is sharp, and fans will immediately recognize Scheffler’s distinctive style. Zog steals the show every time he quietly recovers from his bang-crash-thump landings in the background. The message is noble, but the lack of diversity—all the characters are white—tarnishes the crown.
A solid storytime and lap-read that will amuse with each repeated read. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-338-13417-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Levine/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2017
Cosentino’s third introduction to a costumed superhero for newly independent readers (Superman, 2010, etc.) adequately covers the basics while resolutely placing its subject on the moral and ethical high ground. Blending the original DC origin story with its several subsequent adjustments and reboots, he lets Diana Prince herself narrate the account. She describes her birth, the athletic contest in which she won her silver bracelets and other gear, how she set out to protect the world from evil Ares and makes it her mission “to teach peace and respect to all…and to show the world how to live in harmony with nature.” Using thick black lines and bright colors and working in full spreads with the occasional inset panel or panel sequence, he depicts his scantily clad Amazon in stylized heroic postures—legs wide, fists at the ready, granite chin thrust forward, rosebud lips in a pout of concentration. This rarely varies as she takes out Circe and other threats, rescues an Inuit family from an ice floe, poses with smiling animals and people and soars in her semivisible jet. Wonder Woman uses her Lasso of Truth without ever clearly explaining its powers, and even younger readers may feel some cognitive dissonance between her claim that she works “through love and kindness” and her evident violence against Ares. Still, she stands as proof that there’s more to this superhero business than big muscles and testosterone-fueled aggression. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-670-06256-0
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2011
Smurf-reka! In anticipation of a film scheduled for release in 2011, this previously untranslated version of the cerulean gnomes’ first solo collection (1963) offers three tales: A fly’s contagious bite turns nearly all of the Smurfs into aggressive purple grunters (black ones in the French original—here the translator wisely keeps the color change of Hanna-Barbera’s 1981 TV adaptation); one Smurf’s determination to fly results in multiple crashes and calamities; another’s desire to find peace and quiet away from Smurf Village runs afoul of a mosquito and other hazards. Replete with pratfalls, butt-biting and like slapstick, the neatly squared-off comic-strip–style panels look small at first glance, but coated paper and high production values make both the dialogue and the brightly colored art easy to read. Reminiscent of Asterix in tone but shorter and less sophisticated, these episodes don’t show their age, and they should find a ready audience of recent Toon Book graduates. Also available: The Smurfs and the Magic Flute (ISBN: 978-1-59707-209-6; paper ISBN: 978-1-59707-208-3), a retitled reissue of their first appearance as characters in an earlier comics series. (Graphic fiction. 6-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59707-207-6
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Papercutz
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2010
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