Gilbert is a happy, happy goldfish, except for one very important thing. He desperately wants a pet. Not surprisingly, when...
by Kelly DiPucchio & illustrated by Bob Shea ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 9, 2011
A fresh, funny take on a popular topic—the perfect pet.
Gilbert is a happy, happy goldfish, except for one very important thing. He desperately wants a pet. Not surprisingly, when a dog arrives and befriends Gilbert, the little fish is over the moon. That is, until all that barking begins to irritate his nerves. Gilbert is happy when the yappy dog departs, but he still wants a pet. Next to come by is a mouse. Gilbert thinks she will make the perfect pet, but she disappears once she realizes that though he is orange, Gilbert is not, in fact, a piece of cheese. Gilbert next meets a fly, but that relationship quickly ends with the unceremonious “Thwack!” of a fly-swatter. Poor Gilbert. Will he ever find the perfect pet? Shea’s bright, cartoonlike illustrations place the emphasis on Gilbert’s emotional rollercoaster. His excitement and disappointment as he gets to know each possible pet are palpable, with swift digital semicircles charting his ups and downs.Pub Date: June 9, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3394-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS
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by Craig Smith ; illustrated by Katz Cowley ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2010
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 29, 2018
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS
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by Anna Kang ; illustrated by Christopher Weyant ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 5, 2014
Fuzzy, bearlike creatures of different sizes relate to one another in an amusing story that explores the relative nature of size.
A small purple creature meets a similarly shaped but much larger orange critter. The purple creature maintains that the orange creature is “big”; the orange one counters by calling the purple one “small.” This continues, devolving into a very funny shouting match, pages full of each type of creature hollering across the gutter. This is followed by a show-stopping double-page spread depicting two huge, blue legs and the single word “Boom!” in huge display type. Tiny, pink critters then float down by parachute, further complicating the size comparisons. Eventually, these brightly colored animals learn to see things in a different way. In the end, they decide they are all hungry and trudge off to eat together. The story is told effectively with just a few words per page, though younger readers might need help understanding the size and perspective concepts. Cartoon-style illustrations in ink and watercolor use simple shapes with heavy black outlines set off by lots of white space, with an oversized format and large typeface adding to the spare but polished design. While the story itself seems simple, the concepts are pertinent to several important social issues such as bullying and racism, as well as understanding point of view.
Charming characters, a clever plot and a quiet message tucked inside a humorous tale. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4778-4772-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Two Lions
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2014
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS
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