A 30-year-old text, previously illustrated by Doris Burn, loses nothing to age and is enlivened by the brisk contemporary palette Cepeda chooses. Skorpen’s small questers find grace notes and pitfalls on their circuit from home to adventure and home again. Their first alternative to conventional housing is a tree, where they enjoy the breeze and the colors and the birdsong, but then they tumble off the branches. A pond comes next, and its delights are dampened when the three sink along with their raft. The cave has bears as well as cool green moss and possibilities for exploration. Lastly, the seashore, with its castles and warm sand and surfsong—and turning tides. Home again, they find that it looks pretty good, and doubtless full of treasure and frustrations. The brilliant illustrations add a further beckoning note; if the wild looks this good, it’s worth a try. (Picture book. 2-6)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-399-23016-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1999
An enchanting tale from Fox (Boo to a Goose, 1998, etc.), about a mother bear readying her six little cubs for their long winter snooze. With the onset of cooler weather, Mother Bear lures her bustling offspring into bed with the promise of one final bedtime rhyme for each sibling. With her cubs tucked in around her, Mother Bear recites lullaby poems that are as unique as the little one she is addressing. She serenades her tots with tales of swashbuckling pirates, daring trapeze artists, regal queens, and indulgent sultans. Fox’s honeyed verses resonate with a mother’s love and consummate understanding of her child’s individualism. “Moonbeams touch your precious face/And stars float by with gentle grace.” Argent’s amber-hued illustrations tenderly capture the cozy comfort of the bear family as they snuggle into bed by candlelight, while the more vividly colored pictures reflect the dream world Mother Bear creates. A bewitching collection of sleepy time rhymes. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-202016-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999
A witty tribute to the exceptional and often inexplicable connection between siblings. Baby Louise’s incessant crying has calamitous results, joggling pictures off walls, alarming the four-legged population in the vicinity, and frightening off other wildlife. Her beleaguered parents, grandparents, and their solicitous friends try valiantly to stem the flow, from lullabies to Mozart and an impromptu gig by the grandfather, without success. At first it seems that older brother Daniel’s phrase, “oonga boonga,” will soothe the fractious infant. However, after Daniel leaves and nothing, not even “oonga boonga,” will calm Louise, readers realize that it is Daniel’s very presence that keeps her in smiles. Thompson’s eloquent illustrations reflect both the comical and endearingly tender facets of the tale, providing a sparkling counterpart to Wishinsky’s vivacious text. (Picture book. 2-6)
Pub Date: May 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-525-46095-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1999
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