There's no guessing what's afoot as first Babar's piano disappears, then his car, then the gold statue he's scheduled to unveil (helas! a crude dummy). The one clue, a glove Flora finds on the sidewalk, takes the family on a day's outing to a glove-seller's at Mont Saint Georges (better known as Mont Saint Michel) but otherwise leads nowhere: the lion wearing its double turns out to have a complete pair. So the reader must patiently wait until Arthur spots the stolen car, suspiciously loaded, heading for the shore—where four (piano-coveting) crocs and a Godfatherly rhino are about to cast off with the statue. However—and this is the book's one bright invention—the Old Lady is holed up writing her memoirs in an overlooking lighthouse, and there the thieves are trapped. . . while the Old Lady makes her escape in a suspended basket used before to send up her lunch. The pity is that de Brunhoff—who earlier has Celeste chastised for suspecting the cigar-smoking rhino "just because of the way" he looks—didn't plant a trail of clues in his typical crowd scenes, thus permitting youngsters to out-sleuth Babar & Co. Or, for those who retrace their steps, didn't offer more than a premonitory glimpse of a departing piano. It's all too blankly mysterious to be much fun.
Pub Date: Oct. 2, 1978
ISBN: 0810950332
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1978
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character.
One of Boynton's signature characters celebrates Halloween.
It's Halloween time, and Pookie the pig is delighted. Mom helps the little porker pick out the perfect Halloween costume, a process that spans the entire board book. Using an abcb rhyme scheme, Boynton dresses Pookie in a series of cheerful costumes, including a dragon, a bunny, and even a caped superhero. Pookie eventually settles on the holiday classic, a ghost, by way of a bedsheet. Boynton sprinkles in amusing asides to her stanzas as Pookie offers costume commentary ("It's itchy"; "It's hot"; "I feel silly"). Little readers will enjoy the notion of transforming themselves with their own Halloween costumes while reading this book, and a few parents may get some ideas as well. Boynton's clean, sharp illustrations are as good as ever. This is Pookie's first holiday title, but readers will surely welcome more.
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-553-51233-5
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Robin Corey/Random
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
<p>Perfectly fine but nothing new.</p>
Caregiver-child love abounds in this rhyming board book full of animal puns.
One thing’s for certain, there’s plenty of sweet (and groanworthy) sentiments in this book. Rossner writes, “Giving HOGS and kisses / sends me to the moon!” and, “I’m such a lucky DUCK. / You really QUACK me up!” The book progresses entirely in this fashion, with a new animal pair and pun with each page turn. It reads well as a book for a caregiver to share with a lap-sitting child. On that mark, it succeeds in providing plenty of opportunities for giggles and snuggles. That said, at times the meter is forced, making the cadence a bit stilted, and the cuddles/bubbles rhyme is a dubious one. This is an issue for a book that will almost solely be read aloud. Gibson’s illustrations are very charming; the animals and insects with big eyes and expressive faces have high appeal. The warmth of the animals’ embraces and cuddles translates well from the page, inviting the same snuggles from readers. Decorated eggs appear on each page, and the bunny pair from the cover features prominently. Overall, the concept and message of the book are high interest and age-appropriate, but it doesn’t stand out from the very crowded shelf of “I love you, little one!” books similar to it.
<p>Perfectly fine but nothing new.</p> (Board book. 6 mos.-2)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-2343-8
Page Count: 25
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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