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A GREAT BIG NIGHT

Name: A GREAT BIG NIGHT
Author: Kate Inglis
ISBN: 978-1-77108-908-1

by Kate Inglis ; illustrated by Josée Bisaillon ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2021

Riff-raff rules in this joyful, playful, high energy “great big night."

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The arrival of a troupe of itinerant musicians means it’s time for a “great big night” for all—except one grumbling grouse. When the “music train,” consisting of three frogs on painted bicycles with an eclectic assemblage of musical instruments, pedals into the “great green forest,” excited animals quickly gather. As the frogs play loud, bouncy music, the animals dance jigs, spin reels, sing, and stomp until Grouse intervenes, shouting, “No good comes from a ruckus,” and ordering them to “lay off this…this…RIFF-RAFF!” Then a thunderstorm sends everyone into hiding during a “long and boggle-eyed night,” but the following morning the sun shines for all—except Grouse, whose home and treasures have been destroyed. Before Grouse knows what’s happening, however, the frogs start playing their music, drawing all the animals “lickety-split” to help their grouchy, needy neighbor. The rhythmic, vibrant verse text, peppered with lively onomatopoeic sounds, dances off the pages, begging to be read aloud. Wild, whimsical, and slightly surreal illustrations, rendered in sprightly collage and brilliantly colored paint, perfectly capture the raucous energy of the jiving frogs and hilarious bevy of cavorting animals as well as the terror of the fierce storm and the harmonious, attitude-altering camaraderie of neighbors helping one another. Riff-raff rules in this joyful, playful, high energy “great big night." (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: March 1, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-77108-908-1

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Nimbus Publishing

Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS | CHILDREN'S POETRY

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HELLO, SUN!

by Lala Watkins ; illustrated by Lala Watkins ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 7, 2025

Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader!

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Fun with friends makes for a great day.

Norbit, a salmon-colored worm with a pink kerchief, joyfully greets the day and everyone he encounters. “Hello, friends! It’s time for fun with the sun! Let’s play!” He and his menagerie of forest pals—including the sun, who grows limbs and descends from the sky—exuberantly engage in various forms of physical activity such as jumping, going down a slide, spinning around, and watching the clouds go by. Young readers will readily relate, as these are games that most children are familiar with. As day turns to night, Norbit says farewell to Sun and welcomes Moon with an invitation to continue the fun. Watkins has created a vivid world of movement and merriment. Her illustrations feature bright bursts of color that match the energy of the text, with most sentences ending in an exclamation point. The author/illustrator incorporates many elements that make for an ideal early-reading experience (despite the use of a contraction or two): art free from clutter, text consisting of words with only one or two syllables, and repetition and recurring bits, such as a continued game of hide-and-seek with Sun. Inspired by never-before-seen sketches from the Dr. Seuss Collection archives at the University of California San Diego, this is the first title for Seuss Studios, a new imprint for original stories from “emerging authors and illustrators” who “honor Seuss’s hallmark spirit of creativity and imagination.”

Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader! (author's note) (Early reader. 5-8)

Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025

ISBN: 9780593646212

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Seuss Studios

Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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SCARECITED ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
by Alliah L. Agostini ; illustrated by Lala Watkins

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SANKOFA
by Eric Adjepong ; illustrated by Lala Watkins

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IZMELDA THE FAIREST DRAGON OF THEM ALL!
by Joan Marr ; illustrated by Lala Watkins

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THE TOAD

From the Disgusting Critters series

by Elise Gravel ; illustrated by Elise Gravel ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 5, 2016

A light dose of natural history, with occasional “EWWW!” for flavor

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Having surveyed worms, spiders, flies, and head lice, Gravel continues her Disgusting Critters series with a quick hop through toad fact and fancy.

The facts are briefly presented in a hand-lettered–style typeface frequently interrupted by visually emphatic interjections (“TOXIN,” “PREY,” “EWWW!”). These are, as usual, paired to simply drawn cartoons with comments and punch lines in dialogue balloons. After casting glances at the common South American ancestor of frogs and toads, and at such exotic species as the Emei mustache toad (“Hey ladies!”), Gravel focuses on the common toad, Bufo bufo. Using feminine pronouns throughout, she describes diet and egg-laying, defense mechanisms, “warts,” development from tadpole to adult, and of course how toads shed and eat their skins. Noting that global warming and habitat destruction have rendered some species endangered or extinct, she closes with a plea and, harking back to those South American origins, an image of an outsized toad, arm in arm with a dark-skinned lad (in a track suit), waving goodbye: “Hasta la vista!”

A light dose of natural history, with occasional “EWWW!” for flavor . (Informational picture book. 5-7)