For gross-out fans only, but they’ll find it funny and full of action.
Once again, the brave mayor of Fartville defends his citizens from would-be invaders in Shah’s (Adult Coloring Book Horror Land: Entrapment, 2017, etc.) middle-grade series installment.
Mayor Fart and his allies Rumbly Fart, Loud Fart, and Quiet Fart join forces to conquer the evil wizard Severe Cold and his Booger army. The Boogers, who “are good people deep down,” accept their defeat and make amends by cleaning up various snot-covered areas. Severe Cold reveals, under threat, that he’s been working with Mayor Burp, who’s still power-hungry despite the treaty that’s allowed Fartville and Burpville to share Gas Mountain peacefully. Mayor Burps is supposed to be in jail, but Mayor Fart learns, upon returning to Fartville, that he’s mysteriously escaped. An inspection reveals a strange hole in the cell floor that swells and turns into a Pimple. More follow, which leads to messy, smelly clashes between Pimples, Farts, and Boogers. Then Mayor Burp arrives, riding a huge Pimple, and announces his takeover plans. But when he calls the Pimples disgusting, they take offense and decide that maybe they should just take over Fartville themselves. Mayor Fart devises a bold plan to save the day by raiding the old Fart Armory, which is now a museum. Shah again engages in the nonstop, deliberately disgusting humor that’s a hallmark of this series, which won’t be to every reader’s taste. A slightly more mature style of humor is seen in occasional pop-culture references, though, such as a nod to the 1983 movie Scarface: “I guess I’ll just have to conjure another brainwashing spell. Say hello to my little friend,” snarls Severe Cold. Some may also find it a little unfair to put disfiguring acne in the same category as farts, burps, and boogers, giving this book a slightly mean undertone, considering that the book’s older middle-school audience may be afflicted: “Yo, Pimple Cyst. Quick! Go in like you’re hiding under the skin of a gross Fart teen,” encourages one fighter.
For gross-out fans only, but they’ll find it funny and full of action.Pub Date: May 6, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943684-56-4
Page Count: 60
Publisher: 99 Pages or Less Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Trickling, bubbling, swirling, rushing, a river flows down from its mountain beginnings, past peaceful country and bustling city on its way to the sea. Hooper (The Drop in My Drink, 1998, etc.) artfully evokes the water’s changing character as it transforms from “milky-cold / rattling-bold” to a wide, slow “sliding past mudflats / looping through marshes” to the end of its journey. Willey, best known for illustrating Geraldine McCaughrean’s spectacular folk-tale collections, contributes finely detailed scenes crafted in shimmering, intricate blues and greens, capturing mountain’s chill, the bucolic serenity of passing pastures, and a sense of mystery in the water’s shadowy depths. Though Hooper refers to “the cans and cartons / and bits of old wood” being swept along, there’s no direct conservation agenda here (for that, see Debby Atwell’s River, 1999), just appreciation for the river’s beauty and being. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: June 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-7636-0792-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2000
An invitation to wonder, imagine and look at everything (humans included) in a new way.
A young boy sees things a little differently than others.
Noah can see patterns in the dust when it sparkles in the sunlight. And if he puts his nose to the ground, he can smell the “green tang of the ants in the grass.” His most favorite thing of all, however, is to read. Noah has endless curiosity about how and why things work. Books open the door to those answers. But there is one question the books do not explain. When the wind comes whistling by, where does it go? Noah decides to find out. In a chase that has a slight element of danger—wind, after all, is unpredictable—Noah runs down streets, across bridges, near a highway, until the wind lifts him off his feet. Cowman’s gusty wisps show each stream of air turning a different jewel tone, swirling all around. The ribbons gently bring Noah home, setting him down under the same thinking tree where he began. Did it really happen? Worthington’s sensitive exploration leaves readers with their own set of questions and perhaps gratitude for all types of perspective. An author’s note mentions children on the autism spectrum but widens to include all who feel a little different.
An invitation to wonder, imagine and look at everything (humans included) in a new way. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 14, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-60554-356-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Redleaf Lane
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2015
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