Full of energy and zip, this is a good example of onomatopoeia, well complemented by the engaging pictures and heartfelt...
A game of fetch with a brown spotted dog turns into a wild pursuit that passes by a rhythmic cacophony of animals along the way.
A bright-eyed and bouncy pup yowls for joy waiting to play ball with its young owner. But as the game of fetch begins, the “paw-paw pitter-patter” of a tiger cat creeps onto the page. DePalma has created a syncopated soundscape of animal noises as the puppy chases the cat past a host of other wildlife. The book seems like two stories in one—a wordless picture book depicting the chase, and a tongue-twisting play on animal noises. For example, “TWITCH-TWITCH shiver, quiver nibble BLINK / dart, dash scatter chatter scamper wink” describes rabbits and squirrels that watch as the action runs by. Though punctuation is sparse, the text is printed in different types and colors to match the sounds. Luckily, the watercolor illustrations propel the story’s action forward. The scenery shows the chase through field, stream and forest, with the boy lagging farther and farther behind. The storyline is easy to see, as the boy and his hyperactive dog are finally reunited after the chase ends.
Full of energy and zip, this is a good example of onomatopoeia, well complemented by the engaging pictures and heartfelt story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: July 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8028-5408-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Eerdmans
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2012
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends.
Is it a stormy-night scare or a bedtime book? Both!
Little Blue Truck and his good friend Toad are heading home when a storm lets loose. Before long, their familiar, now very nervous barnyard friends (Goat, Hen, Goose, Cow, Duck, and Pig) squeeze into the garage. Blue explains that “clouds bump and tumble in the sky, / but here inside we’re warm and dry, / and all the thirsty plants below / will get a drink to help them grow!” The friends begin to relax. “Duck said, loud as he could quack it, / ‘THUNDER’S JUST A NOISY RACKET!’ ” In the quiet after the storm, the barnyard friends are sleepy, but the garage is not their home. “ ‘Beep!’ said Blue. ‘Just hop inside. / All aboard for the bedtime ride!’ ” Young readers will settle down for their own bedtimes as Blue and Toad drop each friend at home and bid them a good night before returning to the garage and their own beds. “Blue gave one small sleepy ‘Beep.’ / Then Little Blue Truck fell fast asleep.” Joseph’s rich nighttime-blue illustrations (done “in the style of [series co-creator] Jill McElmurry”) highlight the power of the storm and capture the still serenity that follows. Little Blue Truck has been chugging along since 2008, but there seems to be plenty of gas left in the tank.
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-328-85213-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
As the sleepy keeper bids him good night, Gorilla snitches his keys; then he creeps after him, letting the other animals out. In a lengthening parade that includes a mouse first seen taking one of Gorilla's bananas, they pad along behind the keeper like faithful dogs, enter his house, and curl up to snooze in his bedroom; Gorilla snuggles into bed next to the keeper's wife. The man is too drowsy to notice, but she does; taking Gorilla by the hand, she leads the whole parade back to the zoo with an air of resignation that suggests this has happened before. Gorilla certainly knows the ropes; he and the mouse (still toting the banana) follow her back, this time to settle in the middle of the bed. The amiable cartoon characters, vibrant palette, and affectionate tone of the author's art recall Thacher Hurd's cheerful illustrations. Delightful. (Picture book. 3-7)
Pub Date: April 13, 1994
ISBN: 0-399-22445-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1994
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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