Christopher and Robbie (Mommy Pie, 2001, etc.) return to the scene on a bad day for Mommy. They’re wondering why she is banging pots and pans around, not giving dad a goodbye kiss, and generally radiating bad vibes. At first, the boys are willing to tiptoe about, giving her a wide berth, afraid they have committed some unacknowledged wrong. Then they try a soft approach, hoping for a smile, but get the cold shoulder. Finally, Robbie (with his tonsure of orange hair) gets a bit miffed and starts butting up against his mom, claiming to be a “borkupine,” an unhappy borkupine. Turns out that Mommy is feeling a bit prickly herself, but Robbie has disarmed her. And when kiss-less Dad returns that evening, a little dark cloud hovering over his head, he gets a soft hug rather than a nose full of spines. Mama said there’d be days like this; they’re not the end of the world, but it sure is a relief to be lifted out of them. Mathers takes the term “stick figure” to a whole new level with her characterization of this family. They have egg heads and stick arms, but complete personalities that are perfectly captured with a measure of adorability that is unseemly. And when Robbie takes Mommy’s face in his three-stick hands and explains, “First you sniff noses to make friends. Then you smooth down the prickles,” readers will smile along with them. (Picture book. 3-7)
Pub Date: May 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-399-23433-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2002
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren.
In talk-show host Fallon and illustrator Ordóñez’s latest picture-book collaboration, an elderly pooch waxes rhapsodic about a life well lived.
Observing Papa sitting in his chair watching TV all day, a young pup says, “I’m starting to think…you don’t do ANYTHING.” So Papa proceeds to list his accomplishments, both big and small, mundane and profound. Some are just a result of being older and physically bigger (being tall enough to reach a high shelf and strong enough to open jars); others include winning a race and performing in a band when he was younger. Eventually, the pup realizes that while Papa may have slowed down in his old age, he’s led a full life. The most satisfying thing about Papa’s life now? Watching his grandchild take center stage: “I can say lots of thoughts / but I choose to be quiet. / I’d rather you discover things and then try it.” Fallon’s straightforward text is sweetly upbeat, though it occasionally lacks flow, forcing incongruous situations together to fit the rhyme scheme (“I cook and I mow, / and I once flew a plane. // I play newspaper puzzles because it’s good for my brain”). Featuring uncluttered, colorful backgrounds, Ordóñez’s child-friendly digital art at times takes on sepia tones, evoking the sense of looking back at old photos or memories. Though the creators tread familiar ground, the love between Papa and his little one is palpable.
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781250393975
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Give this child’s-eye view of a day at the beach with an attentive father high marks for coziness: “When your ball blows across the sand and into the ocean and starts to drift away, your daddy could say, Didn’t I tell you not to play too close to the waves? But he doesn’t. He wades out into the cold water. And he brings your ball back to the beach and plays roll and catch with you.” Alley depicts a moppet and her relaxed-looking dad (to all appearances a single parent) in informally drawn beach and domestic settings: playing together, snuggling up on the sofa and finally hugging each other goodnight. The third-person voice is a bit distancing, but it makes the togetherness less treacly, and Dad’s mix of love and competence is less insulting, to parents and children both, than Douglas Wood’s What Dads Can’t Do (2000), illus by Doug Cushman. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: May 23, 2005
ISBN: 0-618-00361-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2005
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