For a book that really comes down to a sick kid yelping for his mother, his nose so clogged it needs dynamite to clear, the...
When you’re sick and stuffy, some letters—like T’s and L’s and M’s—disappear.
Little Louie, a young—well, “it wasn’t like he needed his mom every minute of the day”—black kid, has caught a cold. A nasty cold: ears crackled, brain full of sog, nose dripping enough mucus to launch a ship. And when you get a nasty cold, well, “maybe his mom should check on him kind of often.” The cry goes out: “BOB!” Now, as it happens, the house pooch, an ever faithful Great Dane, is named Bob. So, Bob comes running. Little Louie tries again: “I wan by BOB, not BOB!” (Sharp-eyed youngsters will note that one “Bob” has a heart in the middle of the O, and one does not.) Soon enough, kids will figure it out: it’s a case of the stuffed-nose, missing M. Scanlon and Vernick’s text is sweet without treacle, and it gives Little Louie’s long-suffering couple of sick days a good ride. Cordell’s artwork is terrific. The pages have action without clutter, and Louie has a little chicken-necked balloon head with brown skin, feverish red cheeks, and the most splendid mauve pajamas.
For a book that really comes down to a sick kid yelping for his mother, his nose so clogged it needs dynamite to clear, the story has a lot of adorable acreage. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4847-2302-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Dec. 20, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, if uneven, penguin picture book.
Mama Penguin loves her babies, but keeping up with all of their activities has her plain worn out.
Playing the part of a contemporary soccer mom, Mama Penguin is “very busy taking care of everybody.” Subsequent pages reveal swimming, sliding and waddling lessons, which are then followed by preening practice and fishing. By the time the last activity arrives, a picture of a beleaguered-looking Mama seems to contradict the accompanying text: “And everyone loved Saturday squawking!” In fact, Mama takes a much-needed nap in a spread depicting her prostrate on the ground with one eye closed and a single baby penguin standing watchfully nearby. The text then assures readers that Mama, now refreshed, is very proud of her babies, and she muses about how one day they’ll be able to do all the things they’re learning as well as she can. “Maybe even better,” one of the babies pipes up; the sweetness of the accompanying picture mitigates the line’s snarky tone. At this point, however, the story loses its steam as Mama wonders what will become of her once her offspring are independent, and the baby penguins reassure her that she will simply “be our Mama!” Despite the undeniable focus on the adult in the story, the uncluttered, whimsical watercolors are inviting to child readers throughout.
A sweet, if uneven, penguin picture book. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-399-16365-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Nov. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
Solid lesson neatly presented.
Sometimes, good things come in big packages.
He’s friendly and sweet, with “little paws and little feet.” But Bear’s big bottom gets him into all kinds of trouble. When he plays on the seesaw, he sends smaller animal friends into outer space. He fills the couch from side to side, threatening to squish them all, and empties the pool with a single splash. At least he’s easy for all of them to find. Bear wrecks Squirrel’s birthday bash when he accidentally smashes all the presents and sits on the cake. After his friends scold him, the devastated Bear runs away into the woods. His friends search high and low; for once, they can’t find him, not-so-cleverly concealed as part of a tree. Things take a dangerous turn when they call into a cave and a fox leaps out, chasing them and trying to bite their bottoms. Bear hears their cries for help, but he’s kind of stuck. Luckily, his silhouette against the tree looks like a monster, and that’s enough to scare away the fox. In a funny way, Bear’s big bottom has saved the day. Smallman’s crisp rhyming text is in tune with Yarlett’s bright and sometimes goofy illustrations. It’s hard not to laugh at the difference in scale, and snippets of dialogue incorporated into the illustrations add to the fun.
Solid lesson neatly presented. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-62370-118-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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