More peas, please.
In his second outing, the Runaway Pea gets swept away on an aqueous adventure.
British funnyman and children’s TV show presenter Poskitt returns with another rollicking escapade for the lively and likable legume. Mealtime is over, the dishes have been washed, and now a lonely pea floats in sudsy water in the kitchen sink. When the plug is pulled, he finds himself sucked down the drain, yet he’s anything but scared. This pea is up for a thrill. Drifting along in the water, he meets a vexed little spider in need of dry land, so he offers himself as a flotation device. They whoosh through underground pipes and shoot out into a small river, where they meet a duck and a fish. The happy-go-lucky pea is eager to befriend them, but the spider is wary, and a good thing too, since he saves the pea from the river creatures’ sinister designs. Finally, with the help of a frog, they hit dry land. The spider hurries away forthwith, and for the first time the pea feels “helpless and lost and alone.” Thankfully, Boris the dog comes by for a drink, and the pea manages to get back home by hitching a ride on the dog’s tail...but the adventure isn’t over yet. The rhyming text is fun to read aloud, and the action is snappy. Willmore’s spirited illustrations just add to the fun. Even pea haters will enjoy this amusing caper. Hopefully, adventure No. 3 (already out in the U.K.) will arrive on our shores soon. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
More peas, please. (Picture book. 2-7)Pub Date: Dec. 28, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-9016-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance.
A boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too.
Norman, a “perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Percival (The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. Black-and-white illustrations show his father with dark skin and hair and his mother as white. The contrast of black-and-white illustrations with splashes of bright color complements the story’s theme. While Norman tries to be “normal,” the world and people around him look black and gray, but his coat stands out in yellow. Birds pop from the page in pink, green, and blue, emphasizing the joy and beauty of flying free. The final spread, full of bright color and multiracial children in flight, sets the mood for Norman’s realization on the last page that there is “no such thing as perfectly normal,” but he can be “perfectly Norman.”
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-785-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
A delicious triumph over fear of night creatures.
Pippa conquers a fear of the creatures that emerge from her storybooks at night.
Pippa’s “wonderfully wild imagination” can sometimes run “a little TOO wild.” During the day, she wears her “armor” and is a force to be reckoned with. But in bed at night, Pippa worries about “villains and monsters and beasts.” Sharp-toothed and -taloned shadows, dragons, and pirates emerge from her storybooks like genies from a bottle, just to scare her. Pippa flees to her parents’ room only to be brought back time and again. Finally, Pippa decides that she “needs a plan” to “get rid of them once and for all.” She decides to slip a written invitation into every book, and that night, they all come out. She tries subduing them with a lasso, an eye patch, and a sombrero, but she is defeated. Next, she tries “sashes and sequins and bows,” throwing the fashion pieces on the monsters, who…“begin to pose and primp and preen.” After that success, their fashion show becomes a nightly ritual. Clever Pippa’s transformation from scared victim of her own imagination to leader of the monster pack feels fairly sudden, but it’s satisfying nonetheless. The cartoony illustrations effectively use dynamic strokes, shadow, and light to capture action on the page and the feeling of Pippa's fears taking over her real space. Pippa and her parents are brown-skinned with curls of various textures.
A delicious triumph over fear of night creatures. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5420-9300-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Two Lions
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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