A towering achievement.
A crafty bridge troll, suspicious termites, and an ambitious tower project figure into a meticulously detailed and playful outing.
The precariously poised town of Puddletrunk, which rests on an island, has a big problem. Its hundreds of attempts at building a bridge to the outside world continually fail due to termites. That’s to the benefit of Mortimer Gulch, a green bridge troll who is more than happy to keep attempting new bridge projects as long as the town keeps filling his pockets with cash and jewelry. Gulch has a problem of his own: a newly arrived traveling repairman, a man of color, who’s interested in rebuilding the clock tower. The repairman, who’s determined to protect his materials from termites, stands in the way of Gulch’s scheme; it turns out the troll is destroying the bridges himself and blaming the collapses on nonexistent vermin. Gulch’s greed ultimately backfires in a satisfying conclusion that finds the repairman staying to continue improving Puddletrunk. Though the plot is a simple reversal, the book’s comedically styled design, with visual jokes and bits of town business happening along the edges of every page, makes for an extremely engaging read that’s worth repeating. From Gulch’s lemonade and hot dogs to the pinned-up documentation of each bridge project, Cornell’s paintings are stuffed with wit. Even the curling storybook type does a little bit of lifting in a book that doesn’t miss any opportunities to delight. When the town finally overcomes its bridge dilemma, “Everyone enjoy[s] themselves immensely!” Readers will, too. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A towering achievement. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-374-30609-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle...
Making things is difficult work. Readers will recognize the stages of this young heroine’s experience as she struggles to realize her vision.
First comes anticipation. The artist/engineer is spotted jauntily pulling a wagonload of junkyard treasures. Accompanied by her trusty canine companion, she begins drawing plans and building an assemblage. The narration has a breezy tone: “[S]he makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!” The colorful caricatures and creations contrast with the digital black outlines on a white background that depict an urban neighborhood. Intermittent blue-gray panels break up the white expanses on selected pages showing sequential actions. When the first piece doesn’t turn out as desired, the protagonist tries again, hoping to achieve magnificence. A model of persistence, she tries many adjustments; the vocabulary alone offers constructive behaviors: she “tinkers,” “wrenches,” “fiddles,” “examines,” “stares” and “tweaks.” Such hard work, however, combines with disappointing results, eventually leading to frustration, anger and injury. Explosive emotions are followed by defeat, portrayed with a small font and scaled-down figures. When the dog, whose expressions have humorously mirrored his owner’s through each phase, retrieves his leash, the resulting stroll serves them well. A fresh perspective brings renewed enthusiasm and—spoiler alert—a most magnificent scooter sidecar for a loyal assistant.
Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle characterization for maximum delight. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-55453-704-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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