Visit Mulberry Street instead of this sequel (My Humongous Hamster, 2014).
“Bring your pet to school” day isn’t exciting enough for one young hamster owner with a big imagination…or did he imagine it?
With its perch next to a bench lined with lunches and goodies, the hamster just can’t handle the temptation; he gets out of his cage and proceeds to eat everything and then grow to huge proportions. The stern teacher “tells my hamster to sit down and behave.” The (clumsily) photo-collaged artwork shows the back of a hamster who doesn’t even fit on the page, a broken chair underneath him, and the kids around him (sitting in the same type of chair but with no desks visible) smiling. Next it’s time for music and dance class. Strangely, only girls are in this class, all dressed in pink leotards, tutus, and ballet slippers, and the hamster sports a tutu as well. He visits familiar places throughout the school until he has a meltdown. A hug from the class sets him to rights, emotionally and physically. While young readers may enjoy the sight of a giant hamster juxtaposed with the tiny kids and typical school settings, they won’t learn much about school from this young boy and his hamster, who doesn’t follow any rules or stick to the class’ schedule.
Visit Mulberry Street instead of this sequel (My Humongous Hamster, 2014). (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 23, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-62779-140-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Young readers will be “antsy” to join the hero on her satisfying escapade.
An ant explores her world.
Addie Ant’s ready for adventure. Despite some trepidation about leaving the Tomato Bed, where she lives with her aunt, she plucks up her courage and ventures forth across the garden to the far side of the shed. On her journey, she meets her pal Lewis Ladybug, who greets her warmly, points the way, and offers sage advice. When Addie arrives at her destination, she’s welcomed by lovely Beatrix Butterfly and enjoys an “ant-tastic” helping of watermelon. Beatrix also provides Addie with take-home treats and a map for the “Cricket Express,” which will take her straight home. Arriving at the terminal, Addie’s delighted to meet another friend, Cleo Cricket, whose carriage service returns Addie home in “two hops.” After eating a warm tomato soup dinner, Addie falls asleep and dreams of future exploits. Adorable though not terribly original, this story brims with sensuous pleasures, both textual and visual. Kids who declare that they dislike fruits or veggies may find their mouths watering at the mentions and sights of luscious tomatoes, peas, beans, watermelons, berries, and other foodstuffs; insect-averse readers may likewise think differently after encountering these convivial, wide-eyed characters. And those flowers and herbs everywhere! The highlights are the colors that burst from the pages. Addie’s an endearing, empowering character who reassures children they’ll be able to take those first independent steps successfully.
Young readers will be “antsy” to join the hero on her satisfying escapade. (author’s note about ants) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 9, 2024
ISBN: 9781797228914
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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