Inventive, animated and irresistible.
Harry and Horsie return to battle a giant, cookie-eating robot in this winning tale that will satisfy sweet tooth and thrill-seeker alike.
Somewhere in the universe, two tummies are growling. Only cookies will satiate the ebullient Harry and his toy pal, Horsie. But in order to reach the cookie jar, the two must create the ultimate cookie-getter. A mechanical feat of colossal proportions, CookieBot marches through their metropolis, grabbing cookies from high-rises; but like Godzilla and King Kong, CookieBot goes mad. Down Fifth Avenue he stomps, gobbling confections and climbing skyscrapers until it looks like the city might face the ultimate catastrophe: no more cookies! An epic battle ensues—complete with one big sugar crash—as the heroes leave a happy (and full) public to return home and play another day. Agnew’s fantastical, retro-futuristic artwork propels this spirited adventure. Stylistically he’s true to the title’s predecessor, Harry and Horsie (2009), but compositionally he deftly changes genres, moving from a Flash Gordon–esque, sci-fi–serial approach that highlights sequential images to finding inspiration in classic, monster fantasy movies. Iconic splash pages capture the scope of Harry’s spirited imagination, while detailed illustrations offer clever, hidden humor. Once again, friendship rules for Harry and Horsie; and for Van Camp and Agnew, their seemingly seamless collaboration perfectly tells the story.
Inventive, animated and irresistible. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-197445-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
This relatively gentle tale celebrating the power of imagination fails to cover new territory but is executed quite well....
Debut picture-book author DaCosta pens the quietly suspenseful quest of a ninja on a late-night mission…to the kitchen!
Succinct language full of vivid verbs describing the action sets the mood for Young’s lushly textured illustrations composed with cut paper, cloth, string and colored pencil. “The clock struck midnight…” and a grappling hook appears on the page turn, followed by a nimble and stealthy figure in black ably navigating every obstacle in his path. Climbing and clambering, balancing and leaping, he finally reaches his goal. Just as the ninja takes out his tools and goes to work, “Suddenly the lights flash on!” On this spread, the dusky hues and patterns utilized up to this point vanish to show an imposing hand-on-hip towering black silhouette against a glaringly bright, white background. Of course it turns out to be the child’s mother catching her little one with a spoon stuck into what appears to be a chocolate-flavored treat. With the mission for a sweet snack aborted, mother proposes, “how about a getting-back-into-bed mission?”
This relatively gentle tale celebrating the power of imagination fails to cover new territory but is executed quite well. Good to share at bedtime with antsy adventurers but too subdued a choice for die-hard Ninjago fans. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-316-20384-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: July 31, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This fish story smells stale already.
Big brother shark thinks quickly and saves the day.
Gilbert the great white shark wants to take his new little brother, Finn, everywhere with him, but Gilbert's friend Rita Remora wants nothing to do the tyke, who, in her opinion, is too small to play with them. Indeed, Finn struggles on the see-saw and is too slight to play finball. He does like the seaweed swing, which Rita and Gilbert strap him into so that they can go skating. All of a sudden, the sea goes as dark as night and all the fish scatter; it's a killer whale! And he spots Finn, still strapped into the swing. Gilbert grabs the seaweed holding Finn just in time, but the whale doesn't give up. He chases Rita, Gilbert and Finn, who speed to a sunken fishing boat and elude the orca. All seems safe, but Gilbert gets a little panicky when he can't find Finn and Rita. They pop out of a barrel, laughing. Rita and Finn have become friends, and the trio swims off together. This slapdash story of brotherly love is not improved by undistinguished illustrations or a chase scene that feels an awful lot like any number of animated kids’ movies. The copyright page includes interesting facts about sharks, but their placement makes them likely to be overlooked.
This fish story smells stale already. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4027-8040-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
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