Maybelle the Cockroach and Henry the Flea are still alive and bugging the very perfect Peabodys. The rule of their house might be “ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY NO BUGS,” but rules are made to be broken. Whether it’s a hidden cache of raspberry jam or a pile of sandwiches for the Ladies’ Spring Tea, Maybelle’s life is full of surprises. One is the arrival of Maurice, one Noticeable and Unwelcome fly who puts all the insects in danger of an Extermination Event but who also adds some excitement to the household. While Maybelle tries to follow The Rules that keep a cockroach safe, Maurice’s watchword is “Go for it!” When Maybelle decides to do so, she goes through one terrifying and hilarious adventure after another. Rátz de Taygos’s detailed, kinetic illustrations dot most pages, making the text accessible to new readers. Maybelle’s oversized hair bow and Maurice’s over-the-top antics, along with varied perspectives, keep readers at the heart of the adventure. Short sentences, laugh-out-loud situations and likable characters make this second series entry a winner. (Fiction. 6-9)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-8050-8093-3
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2008
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The wriggly narrator of Diary of a Worm (2003) puts in occasional appearances, but it’s his arachnid buddy who takes center stage here, with terse, tongue-in-cheek comments on his likes (his close friend Fly, Charlotte’s Web), his dislikes (vacuums, people with big feet), nervous encounters with a huge Daddy Longlegs, his extended family—which includes a Grandpa more than willing to share hard-won wisdom (The secret to a long, happy life: “Never fall asleep in a shoe.”)—and mishaps both at spider school and on the human playground. Bliss endows his garden-dwellers with faces and the odd hat or other accessory, and creates cozy webs or burrows colorfully decorated with corks, scraps, plastic toys and other human detritus. Spider closes with the notion that we could all get along, “just like me and Fly,” if we but got to know one another. Once again, brilliantly hilarious. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-06-000153-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Joanna Cotler/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2005
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look...
Winning actually isn’t everything, as jazz-happy Rooster learns when he goes up against the legendary likes of Mules Davis and Ella Finchgerald at the barnyard talent show.
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look good—particularly after his “ ‘Hen from Ipanema’ [makes] / the barnyard chickies swoon.”—but in the end the competition is just too stiff. No matter: A compliment from cool Mules and the conviction that he still has the world’s best band soon puts the strut back in his stride. Alexander’s versifying isn’t always in tune (“So, he went to see his cousin, / a pianist of great fame…”), and despite his moniker Rooster plays an electric bass in Bower’s canted country scenes. Children are unlikely to get most of the jokes liberally sprinkled through the text, of course, so the adults sharing it with them should be ready to consult the backmatter, which consists of closing notes on jazz’s instruments, history and best-known musicians.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-58536-688-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
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