The final joke may fall a little flat, but there is much to enjoy here as two different personalities (and species) form a...
Can a duck who belongs to nobody find a somebody?
An engaging duck paints its toenails while sitting on a lawn and ends up sleeping there too, complete with striped bedcap and stuffed bunny. A suspicious alligator homeowner who has been observing the stranger comes out in the morning and demands to know: “Whose duck are you?” After some thinking, the white waterfowl finally comes up with the unacceptable answer: “I’m nobody’s duck!” The unusual pair sets out on a series of adventures that eventually bring them closer together than their chilly introduction would suggest. The alligator is determined to find out where the duck belongs, inquiring of the library and the giraffe librarian, the movie theater with its porcine cashier, and so on. The animals deny any relationship to the duck, but the alligator finally realizes the exciting changes in a previously lonely, boring life and embraces this new relationship. The minimal text appears in accessible speech balloons that instantly allow “reading” and retelling. The details in the colorful digital illustrations are hilarious. The duck wants to borrow an extremely large stack of books at the library; both animals wear their 3-D glasses in the movies; and the alligator is scared silly in the go-kart.
The final joke may fall a little flat, but there is much to enjoy here as two different personalities (and species) form a new family. (Graphic novel. 4-6)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-544-79250-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 29, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2017
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A charming blend of whimsy and medieval heroism highlighting the triumph of brains over brawn.
A young owl achieves his grand ambition.
Owl, an adorably earnest and gallant little owlet, dreams of being a knight. He imagines himself defeating dragons and winning favor far and wide through his brave exploits. When a record number of knights go missing, Owl applies to Knight School and is surprisingly accepted. He is much smaller than the other knights-in-training, struggles to wield weapons, and has “a habit of nodding off during the day.” Nevertheless, he graduates and is assigned to the Knight Night Watch. While patrolling the castle walls one night, a hungry dragon shows up and Owl must use his wits to avoid meeting a terrible end. The result is both humorous and heartwarming, offering an affirmation of courage and clear thinking no matter one’s size…and demonstrating the power of a midnight snack. The story never directly addresses the question of the missing knights, but it is hinted that they became the dragon’s fodder, leaving readers to question Owl’s decision to befriend the beast. Humor is supplied by the characters’ facial expressions and accented by the fact that Owl is the only animal in his order of big, burly human knights. Denise’s accomplished digital illustrations—many of which are full bleeds—often use a warm sepia palette that evokes a feeling of antiquity, and some spreads feature a pleasing play of chiaroscuro that creates suspense and drama.
A charming blend of whimsy and medieval heroism highlighting the triumph of brains over brawn. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-316-31062-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2022
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