This storybook’s repeating lyrics and cartoonish illustrations will appeal to its preschooler audience.
A centipede finds that he has everything he needs in this simple, sing-along picture book by MacKinnon (Erpill the Caterpillar, 2011) and illustrator McIntosh (Jessie, You’re So Messy!, 2016).
Ippy, an orange-and-yellow, glasses-wearing centipede, seems to have it all. In a series of four-page verses accompanied by full-page, cleverly anthropomorphic illustrations, readers are told about all the things that Ippy has to be grateful for. After each set of items, readers repeat the question “What more does he need?” Ippy begins with showing appreciation for his feet; the next verse covers singing and running; the following one reveals all the toys and belongings that he has; and the book ends by celebrating Ippy’s loving family. Although the structure may imply that there’s always something else to add to a list of what one needs, young readers will clearly understand that the author intends for a loving family to be the most important list item. The framework also allows children to brainstorm about things left out: toothbrushes and hairbrushes, food for picnics, and so on. Skilled teachers may direct such conversations into a comparison of wants versus needs and steer kids toward appreciating the things that they have. Sheet music is included for a potential singalong.
This storybook’s repeating lyrics and cartoonish illustrations will appeal to its preschooler audience.Pub Date: April 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4602-9352-2
Page Count: 24
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: Sept. 5, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 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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