Well meant, not thought through.
A hands- and butts-on invitation to do science.
On the way to a basic version of the scientific method outlined in an appendix, Zong has lab-coated professors Bear and Frog urge readers to perform a series of “experiments” to find out if you can literally “do everything with books,” and then turn pages to observe the results. In the very simple cartoon illustrations the two researchers generally take a beating as they are shaken, turned upside down, bellowed at (“If you’re in a library, only yell a little”—whatever that means), and sat on. This last is a distinctly bad idea if the book’s being read on a tablet, and things go further awry when young readers/researchers are offered a lollipop—not to lick (which is theoretically feasible, if unsanitary) but as a reward which, being only an image, can’t be taken. What, there’s something books can’t do? Off scurry the two professors to modify their hypothesis. Scientific enquiry gets a more methodical showing in Camille Andros’ Charlotte the Scientist Is Squished! illustrated by Brianne Farley (2017), and budding experimenters eager to put their reading through the wringer will get more satisfaction from Dave Eggers’ Abner & Ian Get Right-Side Up, illustrated by Laura Park (2019), or Hervé Tullet’s inimitable Press Here (2011). (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-17–inch double-page spreads viewed at 48% of actual size.)
Well meant, not thought through. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Aug. 11, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-22580-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Imprint
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2020
A charming tale of an athlete who may not steal any bases but who will certainly steal readers’ hearts.
Ohtani, pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, teams up with Blank and Liem to tell the story of how his dog, Decoy, threw out a ceremonial first pitch.
It’s a big day! Decoy leaps “off the bed. Then back onto the bed. Then off the bed.” The enthusiastic pup heads outside to practice with his lucky baseball but is quickly distracted by squirrels (“we’ll play later!”), airplanes (“flyin’ high!”), and flowers (“smell ya soon!”). Dog and pitcher then head to the ballpark. In the locker room, Decoy high-paws Shohei’s teammates. It’s nearly time! But as Shohei prepares to warm up, Decoy realizes that he’s forgotten something important: his lucky ball. Without it, there will be “no championships, no parades, and no hot dogs!” Back home he goes, returning just in time. With Shohei at the plate, Decoy runs from the mound to his owner, rolling the ball into Shohei’s mitt for a “Striiiiike!” Related from a dog’s point of view, Ohtani and Blank’s energetic text lends the tale a sense of urgency and suspense. Liem’s illustrations capture the excitement of the first day of baseball season and the joys of locker room camaraderie, as well as Shohei and Decoy’s mutual affection—even when the ball is drenched in slobber, Shohei’s love for his pet shines through, and clearly, Decoy is focused when it matters.
A charming tale of an athlete who may not steal any bases but who will certainly steal readers’ hearts. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2026
ISBN: 9780063460775
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2025
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
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