A great book to share with sensitive children concerned about the steadiness of parental love and a pleasant example of...
A winsome girl rabbit is her mother’s “lovey bunny,” but when she borrows her mother’s fancy dress with unfortunate results, she wonders if the affection from her mother is in jeopardy.
The story begins: “I’m such a lovey bunny! My Mama tells me so. I love just about everything!” Pencil-and-gouache drawings with digital color show a family of four rabbits looking dapper in human clothes. Lombardi chooses quick declarations, shown on slips of lined handwriting paper arranged scrapbook-style, to set the tone for the story. “I love my family. I love to sit and read. I love the SUN!” But what this little bunny really loves is to play dress-up. When she spies a beautiful, long, black dress her mother made, she decides to try it on. Lovey Bunny decides she looks too pretty to stay inside the house. Readers will either giggle or gasp as she rides her skateboard through her neighborhood. Soon the dress’ skirt is in shreds. When she returns home, her mother is at a loss: she was to wear that dress to a party that evening. Lovey Bunny is clearly upset with herself but soon gets to work to “repair” the dress. Using the materials available to her, she tapes the fabric together, glues on tinfoil “sequins,” and applies plastic patches. The ending satisfies by delivering an unexpected twist.
A great book to share with sensitive children concerned about the steadiness of parental love and a pleasant example of creative problem-solving. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 3, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4197-1485-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2015
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren.
In talk-show host Fallon and illustrator Ordóñez’s latest picture-book collaboration, an elderly pooch waxes rhapsodic about a life well lived.
Observing Papa sitting in his chair watching TV all day, a young pup says, “I’m starting to think…you don’t do ANYTHING.” So Papa proceeds to list his accomplishments, both big and small, mundane and profound. Some are just a result of being older and physically bigger (being tall enough to reach a high shelf and strong enough to open jars); others include winning a race and performing in a band when he was younger. Eventually, the pup realizes that while Papa may have slowed down in his old age, he’s led a full life. The most satisfying thing about Papa’s life now? Watching his grandchild take center stage: “I can say lots of thoughts / but I choose to be quiet. / I’d rather you discover things and then try it.” Fallon’s straightforward text is sweetly upbeat, though it occasionally lacks flow, forcing incongruous situations together to fit the rhyme scheme (“I cook and I mow, / and I once flew a plane. // I play newspaper puzzles because it’s good for my brain”). Featuring uncluttered, colorful backgrounds, Ordóñez’s child-friendly digital art at times takes on sepia tones, evoking the sense of looking back at old photos or memories. Though the creators tread familiar ground, the love between Papa and his little one is palpable.
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781250393975
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
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A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
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