Fans of the first should enjoy this second hijinks-filled outing of this school story/animal fantasy hybrid.
Hounds Waldo and Sassy are now fully integrated into life at Bea Arthur Memorial Elementary School.
Disguised as human student Salty (who must be a very weird-looking child), the pooches love school. They love running fast in gym and singing in music class. Most of all they love the cafeteria; school lunch is the most delicious food imaginable. When their human boy, Stewart, joins the Junior Office Supply Enthusiasts, a club his paperclip-happy parents enjoyed in their youths, the dogs are a bit dismayed to find out that this club isn’t the kind you can eat, so Waldo and Sassy head to the cafeteria to play “lunch human” while they wait. It’s here they inadvertently start a club of their own. Can they convince Stewart, who doesn’t smell as though he enjoys his club, to resign and join theirs? What will his parents say? Young readers will get a kick out of the wordplay and the many puns, while the irony will induce plenty of eye-rolling among adults. The same playful design elements that distinguished the series opener are present: special typefaces indicate the dogs’ favorite foods and “Salty’s” dialogue. Human skin color isn’t called out within the text, but the familiar cartoonish black-and-white artwork shows a diverse cast of characters, led once again by white Stewart.
Fans of the first should enjoy this second hijinks-filled outing of this school story/animal fantasy hybrid. (Fantasy. 7-12)Pub Date: Jan. 29, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-18953-7
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2018
We challenge anyone to read this and keep a straight face.
Four misunderstood villains endeavor to turn over a new leaf…or a new rap sheet in Blabey's frenzied romp.
As readers open the first page of this early chapter book, Mr. Wolf is right there to greet them, bemoaning his reputation. "Just because I've got BIG POINTY TEETH and RAZOR-SHARP CLAWS and I occasionally like to dress up like an OLD LADY, that doesn't mean… / … I'm a BAD GUY." To prove this very fact, Mr. Wolf enlists three equally slandered friends into the Good Guys Club: Mr. Snake (aka the Chicken Swallower), Mr. Piranha (aka the Butt Biter), and Mr. Shark (aka Jaws). After some convincing from Mr. Wolf, the foursome sets off determined to un-smirch their names (and reluctantly curbing their appetites). Although these predators find that not everyone is ready to be at the receiving end of their helpful efforts, they use all their Bad Guy know-how to manage a few hilarious good deeds. Blabey has hit the proverbial nail on the head, kissed it full on the mouth, and handed it a stick of Acme dynamite. With illustrations that startle in their manic comedy and deadpan direct address and with a narrative that follows four endearingly sardonic characters trying to push past (sometimes successfully) their fear-causing natures, this book instantly joins the classic ranks of Captain Underpants and The Stinky Cheese Man.
We challenge anyone to read this and keep a straight face. (Fiction. 7-11)Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-545-91240-2
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
Certain to steal hearts.
In this follow-up to 2020’s The One and Only Bob, Ruby the elephant is still living at Wildworld Zoological Park and Sanctuary.
She’s apprehensive about her Tuskday, a rite of passage for young elephants when she’ll give a speech in front of the rest of the herd. Luckily, she can confide in her Uncle Ivan, who is next door in Gorilla World, and Uncle Bob, the dog who lives nearby with human friend Julia. Ruby was born in an unspecified part of Africa, later ending up on display in the mall, where she met Ivan, Bob, and Julia. The unexpected arrival of someone from Ruby’s past life on the savanna revives memories both warmly nostalgic and deeply traumatic. An elephant glossary and Castelao’s charming, illustrated guide to elephant body language help immerse readers in Ruby’s world. Goofy, playful, and mischievous Ruby is fully dimensional, as she has shown her bravery during the many hardships of her young life. Applegate deftly tempers themes of grief and loss with compassion and humor as Ruby finds her place in the herd. The author’s note touches on climate change, the illegal ivory trade, and conservation efforts, but the highly emotive framing of the story through the memories of a bewildered baby elephant emphasizes the impact of lines such as “ ‘in Africa,’ I say softly, ‘there were bad people,’ ” without offering readers a nuanced understanding of the broader context that drives poaching.
Certain to steal hearts. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780063080089
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023
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