Upbeat and inventive but underdeveloped.
A sudden burst of magic brings surprising changes for a family of moose in debut author Bogen’s wacky picture book.
Life turns upside down for a mild-mannered family of moose when the appearance of a double rainbow disrupts an ordinary meal. Before they know it, a magical magazine has been hurled into their midst, and the unassuming moose are shocked to find themselves standing upright on two legs. Even more shocking, they’re suddenly aware of their lack of clothing; they need to find something to wear, pronto, and a series of costume changes follows. It’s up to the Moose family to establish a town—if only they can find the right clothes first! The quirky, creative premise offers plenty of potential, but the decision to focus solely on the Moose family’s quest for clothing leaves the story feeling underdeveloped, since their magical transformation and search for clothes feel like the beginnings of a longer story rather than a story in its own right. Many of the twists feel sudden and poorly explained; the arrival of an exploding magical magazine, for example, is never elaborated upon or given any further link to the story. The colorful, cartoonish illustrations are sure to be a draw, particularly given the narrative’s sense of visual humor. Children will be happy to giggle along with moose dressed up as igloos and French toast. The sense of humor goes slightly awry, however: the repeated motif of unclothed moose covering themselves with strategically placed leaves and butterflies is likely to draw more giggles and attention than the story itself. Readers drawn to the colorful characters will have to hope Bogen chooses to develop her characters’ adventures into a more satisfying series.
Upbeat and inventive but underdeveloped.Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-692-53355-0
Page Count: 36
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Nov. 10, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The seemingly ageless Seeger brings back his renowned giant for another go in a tuneful tale that, like the art, is a bit sketchy, but chockful of worthy messages. Faced with yearly floods and droughts since they’ve cut down all their trees, the townsfolk decide to build a dam—but the project is stymied by a boulder that is too huge to move. Call on Abiyoyo, suggests the granddaughter of the man with the magic wand, then just “Zoop Zoop” him away again. But the rock that Abiyoyo obligingly flings aside smashes the wand. How to avoid Abiyoyo’s destruction now? Sing the monster to sleep, then make it a peaceful, tree-planting member of the community, of course. Seeger sums it up in a postscript: “every community must learn to manage its giants.” Hays, who illustrated the original (1986), creates colorful, if unfinished-looking, scenes featuring a notably multicultural human cast and a towering Cubist fantasy of a giant. The song, based on a Xhosa lullaby, still has that hard-to-resist sing-along potential, and the themes of waging peace, collective action, and the benefits of sound ecological practices are presented in ways that children will both appreciate and enjoy. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83271-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001
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