Laugh-out-loud fun and a lovely sweet ending.
Everything about Mr. Brown, an anthropomorphic tiger, is very important.
He does important work in an important office, and he carries a briefcase filled with very important items. Every day he goes out for lunch in the park, sitting on a bench to eat, placing his briefcase next to him, thinking important thoughts. But on this day, unforeseen events disturb his usually predictable day. Mr. Brown’s briefcase has disappeared, and he sees a baby elephant is holding it as its carriage is wheeled away. So the mad chase begins. Just as he nears the carriage, the briefcase becomes hooked on an ice cream cart. Next it’s on a children’s carnival ride and then carried away on a school bus. Lots of breathless running and near misses ensue. A kind child (perhaps a koala) lends him a bike, and off he goes following the bus. Finally, nearly spent, he meets the children alighting from the bus, claims his briefcase and heads home. In a nice twist readers learn the contents of the briefcase—and they are indeed important. Peacock tells the tale in easy, approachable language, with bits of delightful repetition and Mr. Brown in turn calling, shouting, bellowing, and gasping his pleas. Friend’s sophisticated cartoon illustrations are full of surprises, adding an entirely new level to the work. Mr. Brown heads a hugely diverse cast of characters who are all anthropomorphic animals, depicted quite accurately but dressing, behaving, and speaking as humans. (Few are wearing bottoms, and none wear shoes.)
Laugh-out-loud fun and a lovely sweet ending. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1436-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.
What happens when a robot washes up alone on an island?
“Everything was just right on the island.” Brown beautifully re-creates the first days of Roz, the protagonist of his Wild Robot novels, as she adapts to living in the natural world. A storm-tossed ship, seen in the opening just before the title page, and a packing crate are the only other human-made objects to appear in this close-up look at the robot and her new home. Roz emerges from the crate, and her first thought as she sets off up a grassy hill—”This must be where I belong”—is sweetly glorious, a note of recognition rather than conquest. Roz learns to move, hide, and communicate like the creatures she meets. When she discovers an orphaned egg—and the gosling Brightbill, who eventually hatches—her decision to be his mother seems a natural extension of her adaptation. Once he flies south for the winter, her quiet wait across seasons for his return is a poignant portrayal of separation and change. Brown’s clean, precise lines and deep, light-filled colors offer a sense of what Roz might be seeing, suggesting a place that is alive yet deeply serene and radiant. Though the book stands alone, it adds an immensely appealing dimension to Roz’s world. Round thumbnails offer charming peeks into the island world, depicting Roz’s animal neighbors and Brightbill’s maturation.
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780316669467
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
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