Max the mouse makes pancakes for his four younger sibs but runs out of ingredients before he can make one for himself. What to do?
Clever use of partial pages turns a potential downer into a sweet opportunity for sharing in this Japanese import via Canada. First, of course, Max has to make batter and cook it just so—shown step by step with vertically split half pages in Nishiuchi’s bright, blocky pictures—and discover his mistake by dishing the pancakes out. Noticing his exaggerated expression of misery as he regards his empty plate, the others generously cut their pancakes into quarters and pass them over one by one…but wait, that leaves all five mice with three quarters and one piece extra. Who gets it? The fortuitous arrival of Mommy Mouse solves the problem neatly and nicely. Though the mice eat their pancakes without toppings in the illustrations, the appended recipe (which properly includes a cautionary note about adult supervision) closes with an entirely appropriate recommendation to serve with butter and maple syrup. Stack toddler-friendly tributes like Lotta Nieminen’s Pancakes! An Interactive Recipe Book (2016) and Kathryn Smith’s Pancakes With Grandma, illustrated by Seb Braun (2020), atop this yummy outing.
A delectable dish with morsels of empathy, fair dealing, and even math in the list of ingredients. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: June 16, 2020
ISBN: 978-2-89802-161-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: CrackBoom! Books
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2020
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS
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PERSPECTIVES
Hee haw.
44
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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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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Unlikely friends Bear and Rabbit face fears together.
The anthropomorphic creatures set out on an adventure. Graphic-based illustrations give the book a Pixar movie feel, with a variety of page layouts that keep the story moving. Large blocks of black text are heavy on dialogue patterns as timid Bear and bold Rabbit encounter obstacles. Bear fears every one of them, from the stream to the mountain. He’ll do anything to avoid the objects of terror: taking a bus, a train, and even a helicopter. As Rabbit asks Bear if he’s frightened, Bear repeatedly responds, “I’m not scared, you’re scared!” and children will delight in the call-and-response opportunities. Adults may tire of the refrain, but attempts to keep everyone entertained are evident in asides about Bear's inability to brush food from his teeth (he’s too afraid to look at himself in the mirror) and Rabbit's superstrong ears (which do come in handy later). When Rabbit finds herself in danger after Bear defects on the adventure, Bear retraces the trip. Along the way, he notes that the stream wasn't as deep, nor the mountain as high, as he thought when he was scared. While picture-book shelves may not be screaming for another comedically sweet bear story, especially one that treads such familiar territory, many readers will appreciate this tale of overcoming fears. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Energetic and earnest but not groundbreaking. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: March 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35237-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2022
Categories: CHILDREN'S HEALTH & DAILY LIVING | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS
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