A whimsical, heartfelt picture book about a little bird with a surprisingly big dream.
A pompadour-touting penguin makes a bid for fame in Casanova’s zany, rollicking debut children’s book.
There’s quite a stir in a wildlife habitat on the grounds of a Las Vegas hotel when an odd-looking baby penguin hatches from his egg. Named for his highly unusual hairdo, Elvis quickly attracts attention, from the sneers of flamingos to the admiration of a female penguin named Lucy. When a convention of Elvis impersonators visits the zoo, the little penguin finds himself inspired by his namesake. Elvis’ antics occasionally get him into trouble, including painting his flippers to look like blue suede shoes and making an ill-fated attempt to bring a hound dog to the penguin enclosure. In spite of such mischief, though, there’s no dampening his enthusiasm, and he’s determined to make it big onstage in Las Vegas someday. Just when it seems that fame is out of reach, an encounter involving some showgirls and a fast-talking, street-savvy penguin named Mario offers Elvis a surprising chance—if he can outrun security guards. This quirky, upbeat, and undeniably fun children’s book is sure to make even the most reluctant Elvis fan want to join in and sing along. The author has a keen sense of humor, including zany touches such as a bad-boy gang of Bronx Zoo penguins and plot twists that reference the lyrics to Elvis Presley’s songs. Some of the pop-culture nods may be better understood by adults than by children, but the song snippets and the child-friendly backdrop of the zoo make this a perfect introduction to a bygone era of music history. The book’s only sour note is in its crayon-and-pencil illustrations, which offer well-drawn depictions of the characters but lack the polish and professionalism of the text.
A whimsical, heartfelt picture book about a little bird with a surprisingly big dream.Pub Date: April 2, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9861763-0-2
Page Count: 39
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: June 10, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The seemingly ageless Seeger brings back his renowned giant for another go in a tuneful tale that, like the art, is a bit sketchy, but chockful of worthy messages. Faced with yearly floods and droughts since they’ve cut down all their trees, the townsfolk decide to build a dam—but the project is stymied by a boulder that is too huge to move. Call on Abiyoyo, suggests the granddaughter of the man with the magic wand, then just “Zoop Zoop” him away again. But the rock that Abiyoyo obligingly flings aside smashes the wand. How to avoid Abiyoyo’s destruction now? Sing the monster to sleep, then make it a peaceful, tree-planting member of the community, of course. Seeger sums it up in a postscript: “every community must learn to manage its giants.” Hays, who illustrated the original (1986), creates colorful, if unfinished-looking, scenes featuring a notably multicultural human cast and a towering Cubist fantasy of a giant. The song, based on a Xhosa lullaby, still has that hard-to-resist sing-along potential, and the themes of waging peace, collective action, and the benefits of sound ecological practices are presented in ways that children will both appreciate and enjoy. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83271-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001
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