Everybody thinks old Mrs. Tully's new puppy is adorable, especially his ever-wagging tail—until he gets big and bumptious and the tail becomes a constant menace at home, where it sweeps things like vases and puzzles off tables, and downtown, where it removes the bride and groom from a wedding cake at the baker's. Despondent, Mrs. Tully walks the dog up the mountain, where she gets her foot caught between two rocks. It's not clear just how (nor is it likely), but Walter gets his tail sufficiently entangled in her red shawl to wave it as a flag of distress, thus summoning help and becoming a hero. A familiar outline, but Walter makes an engaging hero, especially in Ernst's vigorously limned illustrations; and, of course, the perils of an overenthusiastic body that gets unexpectedly large will be appreciated by many children. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: March 31, 1992
ISBN: 0-02-733564-X
Page Count: 40
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
“Welcome to astronaut school!” With this cheery salutation, McCarthy introduces eager readers to the specifics of astronaut training and what it’s like to go into space. “[D]ecide what kind of astronaut you want to be,” be it a pilot, scientist or satellite-repair technician, and then study; a now-trademark bug-eyed character sits in front of an elaborate contraption featuring flasks and tubes, glancing through goggles at a stack of books: Basic Russian, Physics, Aeronautics…. Survival training and exercises in teamwork lead to a trip in the “Vomit Comet” and then to outer space. The exhortatory text, peppered with exclamation points, clearly assumes a matching level of enthusiasm from its audience, which, if it wasn’t there to begin with, will surely rise to the occasion. Of especial interest to budding spacekids is an introduction to such critical equipment as space suit and space toilet, the latter complete with labeled thigh restraints and a “vacuum for solids.” So that’s what they do! Rounding out the cheery package are lists of truly “Fascinating Facts” and resources and places to visit. (Informational picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: June 10, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-375-94459-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2008
While the charming illustrations give this title great shelf appeal, lack of narrative depth makes it best suited for...
A Peruvian príncipe sets out to foil his mamá and marry the girl of his dreams in this Latinx-inspired adaptation of “The Princess and the Pea” from Spanish-language–adaptation veteran Elya (La Madre Goose, 2016, etc.).
En route to her own castle, the titular princesa catches the eye of the prince, who invites her to stay the night. The classic Hans Christian Andersen tale unfolds with Latin flair in rhyming couplets sprinkled with Spanish vocabulary terms. The appeal here is for non-native speakers seeking an introduction to the language. At times the dual-language rhyme becomes awkward with phrasing that misses the mark in both languages, “The girl stretched her brazos / and yawned with her boca”—as if she’d yawn with anything other than her mouth? The text also fails to establish the mother’s motive for putting the pea under the mattresses, and for this reason background knowledge of the original is a prerequisite to truly enjoy this adaption. Martinez-Neal’s darling, soft-edged mixed-media illustrations bring the brown-skinned characters to life in costumes from different regions of Peru, while guinea pigs and alpaca fleece create an atmosphere of a busy rural textile industry.
While the charming illustrations give this title great shelf appeal, lack of narrative depth makes it best suited for comparison with the original rather than a title that stands on its own. (glossary) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-399-25156-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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