Buoyant fun for the very young.
When the hippo goes missing, the whole young class visiting Don’s Safari takes up the search.
Don, a white man with a pith helmet and a neat handlebar moustache, welcomes the diverse throng of children with an expansive gesture. One little white boy boldly declares that there’s no hippopotamus; indeed, near the arrowed sign stating “See the amazing hippopotamus” there’s just a set of big footprints. Don is frantic, and the determined children turn into a hunting party. They’ve got more energy than animal sense, mistaking the giraffe, the elephant, and even the snake for a hippopotamus. Davis’ pictures capture these interactions hilariously. A little black girl with fabulously poofy hair dangles from the neck of the giraffe like a daredevil, and a brown-skinned girl gets all wrapped up by the snake (who later goes for the teacher, who is white). The entire class has just about given up when an enormous figure wearing an ill-fitting Hawaiian shirt, sunglasses, and a tiny ugly hat creeps up behind them. It’s little, brown-skinned Liam who tugs on the teacher’s skirt to point out the big gray beast lurking behind. MacIver’s bouncy, rhyming text betrays its antipodean origins with dropped H’s aplenty: “I got ’im, Miss! I got ’im, Miss!” Davis’ colorful illustrations match the text’s energy and zaniness, doing a better job than many at capturing racial differences among the children.
Buoyant fun for the very young. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-927271-96-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Gecko Press
Review Posted Online: June 27, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016
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
A funny tale about stress and an ever upping ante, with a comforting end.
Something is preventing Owl from falling asleep.
Owl leans back against his white pillow and headboard. “Squeek!” says something underneath the bed. Owl’s never heard that sound before, so he fastens his pink bathrobe and answers the front door. Nobody. It must be the wind; back to bed. Bidding himself goodnight, he climbs into bed—and hears the noise again. Time after time, he pops out of bed seeking the squeaker. Is it in the cupboard? He empties the shelves. Under the floor? He pulls up his floorboards. As Owl’s actions ratchet up—he destroys the roof and smashes the walls, all in search of the squeak—so does his anxiety. Not until he hunkers down in bed under the night sky (his bed is now outdoors, because the house’s roof and walls are gone), frantically clutching his pillow, does he see what readers have seen all along: a small, gray mouse. In simple illustrations with black outlines, textured coloring, and foreshortened perspective, Pizzoli plays mischievously with mouse placement. Sometimes the mouse is behind Owl or just out of his sightline; other times, the mouse is on a solid, orange-colored page across the spread from Owl, which removes him from Owl’s scene in a rather postmodern manner. Is the mouse toying with Owl? Who knows?
A funny tale about stress and an ever upping ante, with a comforting end. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 19, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4847-1275-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2016
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