This first solo outing by the illustrator of The Wrong Overcoat (2000) is a wry tale with a familiar ring. When Aunty Ethel knits a new wool sweater for her, Rabbit staunchly refuses to wear it because Mr. Cuddles, her constant companion, doesn't have a matching one. Overruled by her pragmatic mother—“Mr. Cuddles doesn't need a woolly sweater . . . He has you to keep him warm”—Rabbit reluctantly dons the offending garment for her jaunt to the park. Yet with a wily determination, Rabbit finds a way to foil her mother's edict. As soon as she reaches the park, the sweater is abandoned, left on the ground to be trod upon and used as a soccer goal. Once home, Rabbit's mother immediately washes the muddied garment, with the inevitable results. Rabbit's once large sweater emerges from the wash small enough to fit her pint-sized pal—and with the capriciousness of youth—Rabbit decides she wants a sweater just like Mr. Cuddles'. Although parents may grimace at Rabbit's machinations, Birchall's simple tale resonates with young readers, who will recognize a kindred spirit in the mischievous Rabbit. For the real fun, Birchall's puckish illustrations, filled with messy details, steal the show. Rendered in a sparkling palette of hues, the playful watercolors contain a plethora of jokes designed to captivate and titillate young audiences: Mole's father dropping his ice cream on the sweater; Rabbit performing an awe-inspiring header that sends the mud-encased soccer ball straight into the sweater "goal." While perhaps not the most mannerly of stories, Birchall's delightfully naughty tale is good, er, clean fun. (Picture book. 3-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 1-57505-465-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Carolrhoda
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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