This brightly hued board book follows the meanderings of a merry hippo. Visually very engaging, the book loses only some of its allure in the disjointed nature of the text. At moments, it fails to sustain any sort of flow necessary to engage readers. “Flutter by butterfly, Maurice is a little shy” opens the book, immediately evoking sympathy for the demure hippo trotting off the page; a bewildering, seemingly unrelated rhyme follows—“Double bubble, shampoo shake, Maurice goes and blows a lake.” Some rhymes effectively capture the silliness children love, such as “Maurice tries a wiggly wig—prickle, tickle, thingumajig,” with the attendant illustration depicting a green, many-legged “thingumajig” creeping over Maurice’s astonished eyes. The ingenious illustrations balance other lines, which by themselves would fall flat, e.g., “Smiley piggy potamus, what else has he gotamus?” is accompanied by the wonderful scene of a happy hippo peering from behind a pig mask. The story may not exhibit much follow-through, but the large simple figures situated on vivid backgrounds and the poking about of the hippo all the way to his birthday party will have preschoolers eager for each turn of the page. (Board book. 2-5)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-531-30098-6
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Orchard
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1998
Through quick thinking and personal sacrifice, a wise old Japanese farmer saves the people of his village from a devastating tsunami in this simple yet striking story based on Lafcadio Hearn’s “A Living God.” Ojiisan lives in a cottage on a mountain overlooking the village and sea. One day, villagers gather to celebrate the rice harvest, but Ojiisan stays home thinking “something does not feel right.” When the earth quakes and the sea darkens and runs away from the land, Ojiisan realizes a tsunami approaches. Fearing the oblivious villagers will be swept away, Ojiisan torches his rice fields to attract attention, and they respond, barely escaping the monster wave. Rendered in gouache, pastel and collage, Young’s illustrations cleverly combine natural textures, bold colors and abstract shapes to convey compelling images of chaos and disaster as the rice fields burn and the wave rushes in. In one literally breathtaking double-page spread, an enormous wall of water engulfs the teeny seacoast village. A visually powerful and dramatic tribute to one man’s willingness to sacrifice everything for others. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-399-25006-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2008
BOOK REVIEW
Momo longed to carry the blue umbrella and wear the bright red rubber boots she had been given on her third birthday. But day after day Indian summer continued. Momo tried to tell mother she needed to carry the umbrella to nursery school because the sunshine bothered her eyes. But Mother didn't let her use the umbrella then or when she said the wind bothered her. At last, though, rain fell on the city pavements and Momo carried her umbrella and wore her red boots to school. One feels the urgency of Momo's wish. The pictures are full of the city's moods and the child's joy in a rainy day.
Pub Date: March 1, 1958
ISBN: 978-0-14-050240-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Dec. 9, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1958
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