Pippin and Mabel, a dog and a girl, respectively, will endear themselves and be instantly recognizable to any child who has ever tried to get a dog into a bathtub. Pippin likes to get intimate with mud puddles, but is not keen on washing up afterward. When Mabel tries to usher him into the tub, off he bolts, once to hide in the cattail muck, another time in the blackberry patch. Both times Pippin eludes his nemesis, both times Mabel gets even more filthy than her dog, and only one gets a bath. Just as the joke is beginning to grow stale, Pippin encounters the scent of a skunk. Suddenly a good soaking is a great idea’several soakings even better. Lighthearted, lightweight, Johansen’s story is well-paced and charming, while Lum’s watercolors dance with simplicity, conveying the affection between Pippin and Mabel in a few expressive lines. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 1-55074-627-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999
Baker (Big Fat Hen, 1994, etc.) engages in more number play, posing ducklings in every combination of groups, e.g., “Splashing as they leap and dive/7 ducklings, 2 plus 5.” Using a great array of streaked and dappled papers, Baker creates a series of leafy collage scenes for the noisy, exuberant ducklings to fill, tucking in an occasional ladybug or other small creature for sharp-eyed pre-readers to spot. Children will regretfully wave goodbye as the ducks fly off in neat formation at the end of this brief, painless introduction to several basic math concepts. (Picture book. 4-6)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-292858-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999
Big Brown Bear, with a natty bowler hat, is all set to paint the house in this cheerful Level 1 reader. Every page presents a full-color scene and a few words of easily predicted, often rhyming text: “Bear is big. Bear is brown. Bear goes up. He comes down.” Big Bear climbs a ladder with a pail of blue paint, while nearby, Little Bear plays with a ball and bat—“Oh no! Little Bear! Do not do that!” These are simple words, but sometimes challenging ones, e.g., there are two uses of up, as in climbing the ladder and washing up. The pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations provide nearly ideal context, while also amplifying the story. The format is attractive and practical, featuring large type on a white background that is placed for easy reading. Beginning readers will be amused by the gentle humor in the book, and feel accomplished to have tackled it themselves. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-201999-5
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Green Light/Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1999
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