In spite of this misfire, few will be able to resist this sweet tale of adult incompetence and youthful problem-solving...
A parade, a party and a panda veer tenuously close to a disastrous fiasco in this charming sequel.
Mr. Peek returns for his second adventure (Mr. Peek and the Misunderstanding at the Zoo, 2011). The zoo is welcoming the birth of a new baby panda, and its zookeeper wants to celebrate in style. As he tells his son, Jimmy, he wants everything to be “tickety-boo for our big day at Peek Zoo!” But while Jimmy does his chores to the letter, Mr. Peek has a tendency to get distracted. He singlehandedly paints some highly perturbed tortoises’ shells black, nearly gives his polar bear heatstroke and manages to allow the new baby a means of escape. The near catastrophe is saved in the end by (who else?) Jimmy, and all is declared a grand success. The story comes shockingly, delightfully close to true horror (the baby panda is at one point within a hair’s breadth of becoming lion food) but wraps up neatly by the end. The accompanying digital art resonates with the influence of 1960s designers and fizzes with energy. It’s a true shame, though, that the attending hordes of visitors are disconcertingly, universally white.
In spite of this misfire, few will be able to resist this sweet tale of adult incompetence and youthful problem-solving skills. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 8, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6658-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Templar/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Feb. 4, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories.
Kids know vegetables can be scary, but rarely are edible roots out to get someone. In this whimsical mock-horror tale, carrots nearly frighten the whiskers off Jasper Rabbit, an interloper at Crackenhopper Field.
Jasper loves carrots, especially those “free for the taking.” He pulls some in the morning, yanks out a few in the afternoon, and comes again at night to rip out more. Reynolds builds delicious suspense with succinct language that allows understatements to be fully exploited in Brown’s hilarious illustrations. The cartoon pictures, executed in pencil and then digitally colored, are in various shades of gray and serve as a perfectly gloomy backdrop for the vegetables’ eerie orange on each page. “Jasper couldn’t get enough carrots … / … until they started following him.” The plot intensifies as Jasper not only begins to hear the veggies nearby, but also begins to see them everywhere. Initially, young readers will wonder if this is all a product of Jasper’s imagination. Was it a few snarling carrots or just some bathing items peeking out from behind the shower curtain? The ending truly satisfies both readers and the book’s characters alike. And a lesson on greed goes down like honey instead of a forkful of spinach.
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0297-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers.
Echoing the meter of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” Ward uses catchy original rhymes to describe the variety of nests birds create.
Each sweet stanza is complemented by a factual, engaging description of the nesting habits of each bird. Some of the notes are intriguing, such as the fact that the hummingbird uses flexible spider web to construct its cup-shaped nest so the nest will stretch as the chicks grow. An especially endearing nesting behavior is that of the emperor penguin, who, with unbelievable patience, incubates the egg between his tummy and his feet for up to 60 days. The author clearly feels a mission to impart her extensive knowledge of birds and bird behavior to the very young, and she’s found an appealing and attractive way to accomplish this. The simple rhymes on the left page of each spread, written from the young bird’s perspective, will appeal to younger children, and the notes on the right-hand page of each spread provide more complex factual information that will help parents answer further questions and satisfy the curiosity of older children. Jenkins’ accomplished collage illustrations of common bird species—woodpecker, hummingbird, cowbird, emperor penguin, eagle, owl, wren—as well as exotics, such as flamingoes and hornbills, are characteristically naturalistic and accurate in detail.
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers. (author’s note, further resources) (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-2116-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
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