Crow clearly wants kids to move and groove with her new version of this beloved tale. What does this reincarnation bring? A syncopated hip-hop swing that has built-in action for listening and reading aloud. "Well, Hare, he really scurried / tho' he wasn't even worried / 'cause he left the silly tortoise in the dust." Unfortunately, the “swing” can be a bit temperamental, and an adult reader will need to go through the text silently to get the rhythm right, without sounding labored. The pacing cleverly mimics the story, with speedy and slow verses, a choice that is both artful and another potential slipup for oral reading. Preparation before reading is recommended. Propelling the story forward, however, is a positive energy that oozes from each spread. Visual homage is paid to Normal Rockwell, Michael Jordan, Fred Astaire and even Elvis. Bringing to mind a match-up between Franklin the Turtle and the Trix Cereal Rabbit, the illustrations give readers a wide view of the race, depict Hare's impending disaster up-close and treat them to a photo finish. The last phrase, “Hare mutters in disgust,” provides the opportunity to discuss losing with grace. An entertaining choice that will introduce children to the fable and show those familiar with it how traditional tales can be expanded. (Picture book. 3-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-8075-6911-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: Jan. 24, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Welcome, Beekle. It’s nice to know you.
If an imaginary friend is unimagined, does it become a real friend?
Beekle (a crowned white gumdrop of lovable cuteness) lives on a fantastic island with other creatures “waiting to be imagined by a real child.” After seeing his companions leave, one by one, Beekle loses faith that he will ever “be picked and given a special name,” and so he does “the unimaginable” and ventures forth to find his friend. Upon arriving at a port city, he observes adults going about their daily lives in monochrome, dingy settings that lack any spark of color or vitality. Perspectives that often isolate the tiny Beekle in corners or surround him with large figures accentuate his loneliness. Everything changes when he arrives at a playground awash in color and sees children playing with their imaginary friends—many of whom had been on his island. But even here, he still cannot find his special friend. Feeling sad, he climbs a tree, and from his perch, he hears a voice calling to him. Lo and behold, he meets his special friend, Alice. She’s imagined him after all, as evidenced by the picture he retrieves for her, which is of himself handing her a picture. In a delightful comic sequence, the pair become acquainted, and “[t]he world began to feel a little less strange.”
Welcome, Beekle. It’s nice to know you. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-316-19998-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2014
Silly, surreal fun: Deeper meanings, if any, are well-concealed, but who needs ’em? (Picture book. 6-8)
A droll if severely abbreviated cowboy tale—wordless and with a decidedly loopy climactic twist.
Depicted in flurries of straight, scratchy lines and scribbled colors in a sequence of full-page panels, the episode begins and ends with an escape. Hotly pursuing a coyote who has broken out of jail and galloped off atop what looks more like a hyena than a horse (none of the figures here are quite identifiable), a lawman with the head of a donkey (perhaps) catches up with his quarry in a rocky cul-de-sac. When a passing ladybug defuses the tense confrontation, the steely-eyed opponents lay down their guns and break out the stemware for a comfy fish dinner—after which the two flee together from a charging squad of cavalry (also mounted atop hyenas). That chase ends at the edge of a cliff, where, to the consternation of their pursuers, clouds of ladybugs suddenly rise to carry both fugitives away. For what it’s worth, sharp-eyed and repeat observers will note that the ladybug is a sort of outside observer who actually makes frequent appearances, from the front cover illustration on.
Silly, surreal fun: Deeper meanings, if any, are well-concealed, but who needs ’em? (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: March 31, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-59270-147-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 28, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2014
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