In a hyper-frenetic plot, reinforced by fast-paced but thoughtful narration, Lewis perfectly captures an active nine-year-old boy’s life. Morgy’s a thinker and a doer; he’s one year older than in his first outing, Morgy Makes His Move (1999) and growing in skill and maturity. Does he still fall flat in ice hockey; is he still menaced by bullies; does he miss his best California pal; are his budding trumpeting skills annoying? Yes, but he has become more philosophical, continues to make the best of challenges and maintains a sense of humor. Supported by Chesworth’s action-packed black-and-white drawings, Lewis keeps the hot pace going from beginning to end with nuclear-family life exploding into a feverish conclusion when sister suddenly needs music at her wedding and Morgy is quickly tutored in “Ode to Joy” on trumpet. Truly a boy who has learned how to blow his own horn. Bravo. (Fiction. 9-10)
Pub Date: May 2, 2005
ISBN: 0-618-44896-9
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2005
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
After Buster Rabbit, Stan Badger, and Sarah Mouse gallop by, Harry Tortoise sets off at his own deliberate pace to find “someone not quick who has time to play with a tortoise.” Sporting an eye-catching red cap, Harry plods through a series of minimally detailed woodland scenes, trailed by a coterie of quizzical beetles, and meets up at last with Sam Snail, a perfect mate for such slo-mo games as “Heads In and Heads Out,” or leisurely conversations about “tree stumps and puddles, and mushrooms and moss.” S-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d beyond standard length to mimic Harry’s unhurried progress, this successor to the likes of Arlene Dubanevich’s Pig William (1985) or Eve Merriam’s Unhurry Harry (1978), with its muted colors and smiling, simply drawn figures, is bound to settle and soothe even the most rabbity young listeners. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: April 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-7636-1802-0
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2003
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Say the title out loud, and you’ll get the gist of this tale about four retired sheep who embark on a new career. Woolcott, Lambert, Eugene and Waylon have trouble fitting in after they move from the farm to the big city, as somehow, no matter how nattily they dress—and they really do cut dashing figures in Watts’ refined, Jazz Age–era settings—they draw stares wherever they go. Nor do their efforts to land jobs as gardeners, knitters or lawn bowlers end happily. Then Waylon finds a strategically damaged poster announcing a singing contest, and the stage is set for a triumphal debut. Even young readers may find the sheep’s instant and enthusiastic acceptance by human audiences a little too easy—but the notion that artists should be judged by their art, not their appearance, is always worth considering. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2005
ISBN: 1-55041-890-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Fitzhenry & Whiteside
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2005
BOOK REVIEW
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