It's not a complex story, but it's a wise one that shows through a specific example how siblings get along, even when they...
The push and literal pull (usually hair) of sibling rivalry is explored in a direct and comically knowing way in animator Thomas’ debut picture book.
Woody and Annie, whose names can't be an accidental allusion to the famous New York filmmaker, are a brother and sister who can't stop fighting. They’ve stressed out their mother, who, in a had-enough moment of brilliance, serves up a fitting punishment: Woody and Annie must hug out every conflict. The fighting continues in progressively ferocious fashion until the hugging punishment proves too much. “ ‘I can't take one more hug,’ Annie finally admitted. ‘Me neither,’ sighed Woody. ‘I'm as flat as a pancake!’ ” The two spend time apart until the inevitable thaw brings them back together toward a predictable but highly effective punch line: getting into trouble because they miss the hugs. Not surprisingly, Thomas’ watercolors throughout convey a strong sense of cinematic motion: as Mom contemplates the first “Hug it out,” a double-page spread gives readers the equivalent of a suspenseful close-up. There's a cute cat and a mouse hiding in the background of some of the pages, but it's Annie and Woody, a pair of white towheads, who fill this book with smarts and life.
It's not a complex story, but it's a wise one that shows through a specific example how siblings get along, even when they often don't. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-374-30314-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A syrupy tribute to mothers that may please fans of the series.
Another creature is on the loose.
The long-running series continues its successful formula with this Hallmark card of a book, which features bright illustrations and catchy rhymes. This time, the mythical creature the racially diverse children set out to catch is an absent mom who does it all (lists of descriptors include the words banker, caregiver, nurse, doctor, driver, chef, housekeeper, teacher, entertainer, playmate, laundry service, problem solver, handywoman, cleaner, and alarm clock) but doesn’t seem to have a job outside the home and is inexplicably a dinosaur. As the children prepare gifts and a meal for her, the text becomes an ode to the skills the Mamasaurus possesses (“Day or night she’s always there. / She meets every wish and need”) and values she instills (“Sometimes life can mean hard work,” “kindness matters,” and “what counts is doing your best”). This well-intentioned selection veers into cliche generously sprinkled with saccharine but manages to redeem itself with its appreciation for mothers and all that they may do. Endpapers include a “to” and “from” page framed in a heart, as well as a page where young gift givers or recipients can draw a picture of their Mamasaurus.
A syrupy tribute to mothers that may please fans of the series. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781728274300
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.
A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.
A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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