An entertaining choice for parents wanting to introduce favorite bands to their lap readers.
A beetle finds his life forever changed in this sendup of classic rock with an insect spin by a singer/songwriter and debut children’s book author.
Tiger beetle John, whose signature glasses evoke John Lennon, and his pal Paul are hunting sand flies and gnats one day when they discover a rock group playing at the nearby pier. Perching on one of the band member’s Hawaiian shirts to get a closer look, John accidentally becomes part of the act when he falls into a guitar and can’t get out. At first, the loud music is torturous, but soon John enjoys how the vibrations course through his elytra wings. The final number, “Good Vibrations,” makes the crowd go wild; John notices “their smiling faces and happy eyes and could see how much they enjoyed the band performance and the music.” This inspires him to set up his own group with Paul, Paul’s friend George, and drummer Buggy Bingo. Later, John marries a Japanese beetle named Yoko, and he says his whole life of celebrity is due to hearing the legendary band that parents should already have recognized: the Beach Boys. Each page of text is framed by the same image involving the pier concert—John peering out of the acoustic guitar—which reduces the impact of that picture. Still, on the whole, the buggy musicians are charmingly illustrated in a cartoon style that should appeal to young readers. The Beatles references in the art (and text) are cute and clever. While the uncredited images lack sophistication, they work for the tone of the story. But there are no conflicts in Funcell’s tale, making it a bit light on plot: the work focuses on a revelatory moment rather than a challenge. And the beetles seem to have an incomplete knowledge of humans, identifying a Hawaiian shirt but not a guitar (“I found out later this wooden box is called a guitar,” John confesses). Although the details may falter, the fun here is in the rock mashup.
An entertaining choice for parents wanting to introduce favorite bands to their lap readers.Pub Date: Oct. 24, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4808-3793-5
Page Count: -
Publisher: Archway Publishing
Review Posted Online: June 23, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The seemingly ageless Seeger brings back his renowned giant for another go in a tuneful tale that, like the art, is a bit sketchy, but chockful of worthy messages. Faced with yearly floods and droughts since they’ve cut down all their trees, the townsfolk decide to build a dam—but the project is stymied by a boulder that is too huge to move. Call on Abiyoyo, suggests the granddaughter of the man with the magic wand, then just “Zoop Zoop” him away again. But the rock that Abiyoyo obligingly flings aside smashes the wand. How to avoid Abiyoyo’s destruction now? Sing the monster to sleep, then make it a peaceful, tree-planting member of the community, of course. Seeger sums it up in a postscript: “every community must learn to manage its giants.” Hays, who illustrated the original (1986), creates colorful, if unfinished-looking, scenes featuring a notably multicultural human cast and a towering Cubist fantasy of a giant. The song, based on a Xhosa lullaby, still has that hard-to-resist sing-along potential, and the themes of waging peace, collective action, and the benefits of sound ecological practices are presented in ways that children will both appreciate and enjoy. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83271-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001
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