A billowing green cabbage plant, a many-splendored snail shell that becomes a cracked and gaping ruin, and a startling ground-level landscape accompany a young snail's education in the perils of being overburdened, the pleasures of maintaining mobility. The story within a story is father snail's account of the snail who coveted and discovered how to make the biggest house (shell) in the world: with its large pointed bulges and bright designs it reminded butterflies of a circus, the frogs of a birthday cake; but it was too large to move when the cabbage leaves were all eaten up, and the captive snail perished. Heeding the warning, little snail takes comfort in his small house and goes forth to see the world of polka-dotted mushrooms and lacy ferns and pebbles like the eggs of a turtle dove. . . . Some of Lionni's continuing motifs (philosophical and visual) are apparent here, but the text is succinct and, most important, the paintings have less delicacy and more gaiety than anything of his since Little Blue and Little Yellow. It's a lesson that youngsters are likely to like with images they're sure to remember.
Pub Date: April 17, 1968
ISBN: 0394827406
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Pantheon
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1968
Pair this with Leo Timmers’ Who Is Driving? (2007) for twice the guessing fun.
Heling and Hembrook’s clever conceit challenges children to analyze a small town’s clotheslines to guess the job each of their owners does.
Close-up on the clothesline: “Uniform and cap, / an invite for you. / Big bag of letters. / What job does she do?” A turn of the page reveals a macro view of the home, van and the woman doing her job, “She is a mail carrier.” Indeed, she can be spotted throughout the book delivering invitations to all the rest of the characters, who gather at the end for a “Launch Party.” The verses’ rhymes are spot-on, though the rhythm falters a couple of times. The authors nicely mix up the gender stereotypes often associated with several of these occupations, making the carpenter, firefighter and astronaut women. But while Davies keeps uniforms and props pretty neutral (he even avoids U.S. mail symbols), he keeps to the stereotypes that allow young readers to easily identify occupations—the farmer chews on a stalk of wheat; the beret-wearing artist sports a curly mustache. A subdued palette and plain white backgrounds keep kids’ focus on the clothing clues. Still, there are plenty of details to absorb—the cat with arched back that anticipates a spray of water, the firefighter who “lights” the rocket.
Pair this with Leo Timmers’ Who Is Driving? (2007) for twice the guessing fun. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-58089-251-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A thoroughly modern, thoroughly charming retelling of the old favorite. Marshall's text is simple and colloquial, without falling into the jarring coyness that often besets contemporary renditions. Witty and direct, it adheres to the traditional plot: both Granny and child are swallowed, then rescued intact by the hunter who kills the wolf. The ink and watercolor paintings are humorous, vigorous, and beautifully designed. Bold enough to share with a group, they include entrancing details: an unusual number of cats, the rustic bridge that bedecks the title page, the wolf hidden in the dramatically dark forest, Granny's monumental stack of bedtime reading. (Her complaint upon release will endear this edition to librarians forever.) A perfect union of felicitously chosen words (this could find additional use as an easy reader), a real story, tried and true, and illustrations in a popular style that also meets a high aesthetic standard. Bravo!
Pub Date: Sept. 30, 1987
ISBN: 0803703449
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1987
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