Pearl the rabbit and Wagner the mouse continue to develop the friendship introduced in the first volume in this easy-reader series, Pearl and Wagner: Two Good Friends (2003). In this funny entry, three short chapters highlight the sort of secrets important to first graders, focusing on the fear of riding on a roller coaster. Pearl skillfully helps Wagner prepare for their roller coaster ride, conquering his fear of the unknown, but the reality of the enormous roller coaster gives Pearl her own set of worries. Her fears are counteracted by Wagner’s comforting presence as they ride the huge “Zoomer” side-by-side, along with their class of assorted animal friends. McMullan’s subtle humor infuses the clever plot, which includes a field trip to an ice-cream factory as well as a birthday party at the amusement park. Alley’s delightful watercolor-and-ink illustrations show a wide range of emotions, including the animals all screaming their heads off as the roller coaster cars careen downhill. Pearl and Wagner are a winsome pair of pals who will surely share more easy-reader adventures, perhaps next time over four seasons like another famous animal duo. (Easy reader. 5-7)
Pub Date: May 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-8037-2574-4
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2004
Plainly the beginning of a beautiful, if ouchy, friendship.
A new friendship goes through some literal growing pains in this woodland episode.
Strawberry the peaceable sasquatch is used to a solitary life of “alone things” like taking walks and making portrait collages of hairy relatives from seeds and berries, but she decides to take up an offer from Nutty the squirrel to hang out together. Little does she suspect that her impulsive buddy’s fondness for climbing, messy pranks, and “snack sneaking” (say that three times) will lead to her falling from an outhouse roof and several trees, not to mention narrow escapes from an irate brown-skinned lumberjack and a marshmallow-baited trap set by “Squatch Watchers.” Next day, scratched and bandaged, Strawberry proposes that the two just watch clouds and maybe make a selfie collage…which suits the similarly battered, still-sticky squirrel just fine. To underscore the tale’s tongue-in-cheek tone, Monroe kits out her shaggy cryptid (who, if only about the face, resembles her Monkey With a Toolbelt) with pink slippers and a shopping basket, comically exaggerates the size difference between her two furry friends, and just for fun has them assemble some oddly familiar looking artworks as sight gags. Divided into panels, with characters communicating in speech bubbles, the book has an appealing graphic-novel vibe. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Plainly the beginning of a beautiful, if ouchy, friendship. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781728404660
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Carolrhoda
Review Posted Online: Feb. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Waddell’s latest is a bedtime love tease that neatly abstains from the competitiveness and maneuvering that can mar the how- much-do-you-love genre. In this case, a cat and her kitten engage in a well-worn, getting-ready-for-bed joust. Holly, the kitten, asks Mama to ask her, “Who do you love?” Mama obliges and Holly rattles through a list that includes grandmother and grandfather, brother, and father, along with the reasons she loves them. Then comes the part of the game Holly likes best: “ ‘Who else do you love?’ asked Mama. ‘I think that’s everyone now,’ Holly said. ‘You’ve left somebody out!’ said Mama.” So Holly names the postman, some friends, and cousins. When Mama sighs that she’s about to cry, Holly softens and confesses her love for her mother. It’s all very tender, and in conjunction with Ashforth’s drowsy watercolors—resembling John Goodall’s in style and mastery—is a story that almost melts with geniality. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: April 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-7636-0586-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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