There’s not much substance or cohesion here, but it may work to corral—briefly—little ones who won’t stop running around.
A cat is excruciatingly bored.
Doodle Cat, drawn as a red, cat-shaped silhouette with frantic eyes and sharp whiskers its only markings, sits on a blank white page. “I AM BORED,” says Doodle Cat. The next two pages have plain, matte-black backgrounds, and Doodle Cat stands (upright like a human) in a yellow spotlight. “EXCUSE ME EVERYONE I AM BORED! / HALLO?” This is no low-energy boredom; it’s desperate, bug-eyed, shrieking boredom. Suddenly, a crayon appears on the floor. Doodle Cat squints in suspicion, tries to eat soup with it, dances with it, and hears the crayon say, “I’m for doodling.” Aha! Doodle Cat, ever self-focused, nabs credit for that revelation (though if the concept of doodling is so new, why did the character self-identify as “Doodle Cat” all along?) and has a brain explosion that Farrell illustrates in a full-bleed spread of chunky psychedelic designs. The arc is now about drawing (it’s called doodling, but much of it is more deliberate than that). The breathless pace and forced brashness—two separate, explicitly bum-focused pages (“Here’s my bum”) plus Doodle Cat “surfing through time and space on a wave of farts with Wizard Susan,” an unexplained White human who never appears before or after—make every page seem like a new bid for readers’ attention.
There’s not much substance or cohesion here, but it may work to corral—briefly—little ones who won’t stop running around. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Nov. 3, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-950354-34-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scribble
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.
A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.
Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Innovative and thoroughly enjoyable.
You think you know shapes? Animals? Blend them together, and you might see them both a little differently!
What a mischievous twist on a concept book! With wordplay and a few groan-inducing puns, Neal creates connections among animals and shapes that are both unexpected and so seemingly obvious that readers might wonder why they didn’t see them all along. Of course, a “lazy turtle” meeting an oval would create the side-splitting combo of a “SLOW-VAL.” A dramatic page turn transforms a deeply saturated, clean-lined green oval by superimposing a head and turtle shell atop, with watery blue ripples completing the illusion. Minimal backgrounds and sketchy, impressionistic detailing keep the focus right on the zany animals. Beginning with simple shapes, the geometric forms become more complicated as the book advances, taking readers from a “soaring bird” that meets a triangle to become a “FLY-ANGLE” to a “sleepy lion” nonagon “YAWN-AGON.” Its companion text, Animal Colors, delves into color theory, this time creating entirely hybrid animals, such as the “GREEN WHION” with maned head and whale’s tail made from a “blue whale and a yellow lion.” It’s a compelling way to visualize color mixing, and like Animal Shapes, it’s got verve. Who doesn’t want to shout out that a yellow kangaroo/green moose blend is a “CHARTREUSE KANGAMOOSE”?
Innovative and thoroughly enjoyable. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0534-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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