Less exposition and more skateboarding activity (and maybe a glossary) would have been welcome, but Gnarbunga's quirky and...
Can an icky, sticky monster make friends?
One day, from "a mucky, messy hole in the ground" emerges Gnarbunga! He looks a little like the Michelin tire man but all black, with ping-pong-ball eyes and jaws like razor blades. The kids think he's really cool—they love getting sludgy—but most of the adults, not so much. (Construction workers, who are a little icky already, are the one exception.) Gnarbunga needs something to do. Various children suggest music, art, books; the suggestion that really ignites Gnarbunga's interest is skateboarding. In short order, he's decked out in helmet, pads and special shoes, then picks a deck, wheels and trucks. Soon he's playing at the skate park with his new friends. He apologizes to the people who don't like getting icky and spends hours at the park learning the best tricks. He can kick-flip over a cat, do a boneless over an ice-cream cone, and even do inverts. Soon everyone is shouting his name. Bromley tucks a nice amount of skateboard slang into his story. His eye-catching digital illustrations are appealing, with only three colors: black, pale purple and flat yellow. Their stiffness and simplicity have a satiric charge, which may elude the very young.
Less exposition and more skateboarding activity (and maybe a glossary) would have been welcome, but Gnarbunga's quirky and lovable nonetheless. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-907967-14-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Boxer Books
Review Posted Online: April 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2012
Pair this with Leo Timmers’ Who Is Driving? (2007) for twice the guessing fun.
Heling and Hembrook’s clever conceit challenges children to analyze a small town’s clotheslines to guess the job each of their owners does.
Close-up on the clothesline: “Uniform and cap, / an invite for you. / Big bag of letters. / What job does she do?” A turn of the page reveals a macro view of the home, van and the woman doing her job, “She is a mail carrier.” Indeed, she can be spotted throughout the book delivering invitations to all the rest of the characters, who gather at the end for a “Launch Party.” The verses’ rhymes are spot-on, though the rhythm falters a couple of times. The authors nicely mix up the gender stereotypes often associated with several of these occupations, making the carpenter, firefighter and astronaut women. But while Davies keeps uniforms and props pretty neutral (he even avoids U.S. mail symbols), he keeps to the stereotypes that allow young readers to easily identify occupations—the farmer chews on a stalk of wheat; the beret-wearing artist sports a curly mustache. A subdued palette and plain white backgrounds keep kids’ focus on the clothing clues. Still, there are plenty of details to absorb—the cat with arched back that anticipates a spray of water, the firefighter who “lights” the rocket.
Pair this with Leo Timmers’ Who Is Driving? (2007) for twice the guessing fun. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-58089-251-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Egg-stra special.
The creators of Pick a Pine Tree (2017) and Pick a Pumpkin (2019) cover each step of a popular Easter tradition.
The first stop for a light-skinned caregiver and child is the farm. Peering into the henhouse, they spot an egg (reminding readers that eggs don’t originate at the grocery store). More eggs are collected throughout the spring countryside and brought home, ready to hard boil. While the eggs are cooling, it’s time to prepare the dye! The lively text highlights natural methods first (“Stew some plants / to make a brew: / beets turn eggs / a rosy hue. / Spinach? Green! / Berries? Blue! / Try some herbs / or spices, too”) but also gives a nod to store-bought kits. After a full day of egg decorating, the youngster wakes up the next morning for a festive neighborhood egg hunt. Happily, treats found inside plastic eggs are not limited to sugar only; they include secret notes, tiny toys, and coins, too. (The child adds their dyed eggs to this bounty.) Sprays of bright greens, a shining sun, and dotted buds on trees as well as pastel bunting and fuzzy bunny ears and flower crowns on little ones bring a light, airy lift to this joyful community gathering. The children involved in the egg hunt are diverse in skin tone. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Egg-stra special. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-5362-2847-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
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