A frisky adventure not at all weighed down by the timely doses of local history folded in.
An all-too-close encounter with the new president’s children and their “c-a-t” nearly spells disaster for two White House mice in this history-laced series opener.
Inauguration Day hoopla would seem to provide a perfect opportunity for furry sibs Ava and Dean Squeakerton to root through the newest first family’s unpacked moving boxes in hopes of adding a souvenir Lego to the hoard of presidential memorabilia gathered by the teeming Squeakerton clan over 60 (mouse) generations. But when their mom’s swearing-in doesn’t keep first kids Banks and Macey away long enough for Ava and Dean to make their escape—and worse, the presidential “c-a-t” (mice never say the fearful word) makes an appearance—the resultant scurry sets off a potentially deadly Code Brown. Perhaps noticing the clothes with which Ford dresses his mice in the frequent floor-level black-and-white scenes, Banks and Macey glibly deflect the Secret Service so that the mice can slip away with their lives and also with two prizes: a Lego, yes, but also a coin battery that has long been sought to power a minicamera once owned by Sasha Obama. Leavitt adds plenty of historical flavor with references to White House locations and past residents and closes with photos and more facts plus a presidential portrait gallery. Volume 2, Oval Office Escape, publishes simultaneously.
A frisky adventure not at all weighed down by the timely doses of local history folded in. (Fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: May 31, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-101-93112-7
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look...
Winning actually isn’t everything, as jazz-happy Rooster learns when he goes up against the legendary likes of Mules Davis and Ella Finchgerald at the barnyard talent show.
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look good—particularly after his “ ‘Hen from Ipanema’ [makes] / the barnyard chickies swoon.”—but in the end the competition is just too stiff. No matter: A compliment from cool Mules and the conviction that he still has the world’s best band soon puts the strut back in his stride. Alexander’s versifying isn’t always in tune (“So, he went to see his cousin, / a pianist of great fame…”), and despite his moniker Rooster plays an electric bass in Bower’s canted country scenes. Children are unlikely to get most of the jokes liberally sprinkled through the text, of course, so the adults sharing it with them should be ready to consult the backmatter, which consists of closing notes on jazz’s instruments, history and best-known musicians.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-58536-688-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
A nifty high-seas caper for chapter-book readers with a love of adventure and a yearning for treasure.
It’s not truffles but doubloons that tickle this porcine wayfarer’s fancy.
Funke and Meyer make another foray into chapter-book fare after Emma and the Blue Genie (2014). Here, mariner Stout Sam and deckhand Pip eke out a comfortable existence on Butterfly Island ferrying cargo to and fro. Life is good, but it takes an unexpected turn when a barrel washes ashore containing a pig with a skull-and-crossbones pendant around her neck. It soon becomes clear that this little piggy, dubbed Julie, has the ability to sniff out treasure—lots of it—in the sea. The duo is pleased with her skills, but pride goeth before the hog. Stout Sam hands out some baubles to the local children, and his largess attracts the unwanted attention of Barracuda Bill and his nasty minions. Now they’ve pignapped Julie, and it’s up to the intrepid sailors to save the porker and their own bacon. The succinct word count meets the needs of kids looking for early adventure fare. The tale is slight, bouncy, and amusing, though Julie is never the piratical buccaneer the book’s cover seems to suggest. Meanwhile, Meyer’s cheery watercolors are as comfortable diagramming the different parts of a pirate vessel as they are rendering the dread pirate captain himself.
A nifty high-seas caper for chapter-book readers with a love of adventure and a yearning for treasure. (Adventure. 7-9)Pub Date: June 23, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-385-37544-3
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2015
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