Pfister’s winking do-gooder returns; Rainbow Fish and his pals find their krill-eating grounds mooched upon by a huge blue whale. The whale appears to mean no harm, and when the “fish with the ragged fins” calls him a “wicked whale,” his feelings are hurt. Accordingly, he menaces the school until Rainbow Fish enters into peace talks. Thereupon the scales are smoothed, the blowholes quieted, and the sea creatures return to a state of bliss: “It was a wonderful life.” It’s almost painfully formulaic, but some children will never get enough of Rainbow Fish, who has now been promoted to ambassador of peace of the pelagic domain. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-7358-1009-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1998
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A ghost story you’ll love to share!
A bibliophile has a strange encounter.
For Hubert Cumberbun, a tiny brown mouse, “a good story was everything. He practically lived at the branch library,” in this case a far-reaching tree (and a great visual pun). When the library closes early due to a blizzard, Hubert decides to take a shortcut through the Hollow, a spooky section of the woods. (Readers can see just how spooky thanks to Hubert’s hand-drawn map on the dedication page.) As Hubert is pondering this difficult choice, the scent of mothballs brings help in the form of a stranger, a brown-furred female rodent wrapped in shades of cherry pink and purple. The stranger asks if Hubert is going through the Hollow and silently guides him past trees that resemble large insects and over hills that look like bears. When they reach the edge of town, the stranger asks if Hubert can continue alone. When he consents, she vanishes—leaving not even a footprint behind. Hubert returns home with a new story to share with his parents and many siblings. The story is Hillenbrand at his best—a slow-building ghost story cleverly disguised as a winter book, menace defused masterfully under layers of snow. Hillenbrand’s snowy landscapes are sumptuous, at times cozy, at times ominous. The surprise of the stranger will shock many first-time readers, making for a memorable tale that will enchant little ones and storytellers alike. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A ghost story you’ll love to share! (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3681-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
With wordplay reminiscent of Margie Palatini at her best, Helakoski takes four timorous chickens into, then out of, the literal and figurative woods. Fleeing the henhouse after catching sight of a wolf, the pusillanimous pullets come to a deep ditch: “ ‘What if we can’t jump that far?’ ‘What if we fall in the ditch?’ ‘What if we get sucked into the mud?’ The chickens tutted, putted, and flutted. They butted into themselves and each other, until one by one . . . ” they do fall in. But then they pick themselves up and struggle out. Ensuing encounters with cows and a lake furnish similar responses and outcomes; ultimately they tumble into the wolf’s very cave, where they “picked, pecked, and pocked. They ruffled, puffled, and shuffled. They shrieked, squeaked, and freaked, until . . . ” their nemesis scampers away in panic. Fluttering about in pop-eyed terror, the portly, partly clothed hens make comical figures in Cole’s sunny cartoons (as does the flummoxed wolf)—but the genuine triumph in their final strut—“ ‘I am a big, brave chicken,’ said one chicken. ‘Ohh . . . ’ said the others. ‘Me too.’ ‘Me three.’ ‘Me four’ ”—brings this tribute to chicken power to a rousing close. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-525-47575-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2005
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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