by Maureen Fergus ; illustrated by Carey Sookocheff ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 7, 2018
Time for a nap.
Buddy and Earl, dog and hedgehog, do what they do best: find adventure where there is none.
Fergus’ protagonists have been digging for treasure in the flower garden. But that gets old pretty fast, and Buddy, as is his wont, suggests a nap. Earl is appalled. He has decided they are superheroes: Wonder Buddy and Super Earl. They must save the city when an imaginary call from the mayor alerts the heroes to a villain on the loose. Buddy is a bit nonplussed by the whole fabrication, but Earl is the brains of the operation, and he keeps things rolling. Earl trails the villain to the new neighbors’ house, where they find Mister (a bulldog rather than a villain, and a bit of a rube, like Buddy) and Snowflake (not a villain but a cat, and a bit self-inflated, like Earl). There follow some classic follies—pride before the fall, dogs ripping leaf bags to shreds—which are successfully negotiated, and the new friends are invited to play Lick the Recycling Bin. At last it’s time for Buddy’s nap. The problem here is that the story lacks the bite of originality. Two little, fairly charming boasters get their comeuppance, but there is no way they will admit to it. Even Earl’s little zingers feel well-traveled.
Time for a nap. (Picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: Aug. 7, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-77306-025-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: April 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2018
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by Hoda Kotb ; illustrated by Chloe Dominique ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2024
Pleasant enough but not particularly original.
Uplifting messages of positivity from the Today show anchor.
Hope springs eternal, so the saying goes. Kotb agrees, here delivering to children the cheery news that hope lives inside all of them and that whatever they might wish for can be theirs. All they need is a sunny outlook, and the possibilities for happy outcomes are virtually endless. Children’s dreams can be in-the-moment ones—like purple ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry—or more far-ranging ones, such as growing tall enough to reach that high shelf easily or for hair that’s long enough to braid. It doesn’t matter, the author reassures young readers. Your aspirations will be realized, so don’t give up on them—just keep believing in them and, most of all, in yourself. Throughout, Kotb calls hope a rainbow, a feeling, a gift, and a wish. Hope is “new friends you’ll find— / friends who are loving and funny and kind.” Hope is “practicing your heart out, letter by letter.” The book’s overarching theme is upbeat, but its bouncy rhyming text is clumsy. The child-appealing illustrations are colorful and lively, though they have a generic look. The cast of wide-eyed characters is racially diverse; some have visible disabilities.
Pleasant enough but not particularly original. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9780593624128
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 16, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2024
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by Hoda Kotb ; illustrated by Suzie Mason
by Jory John ; illustrated by Pete Oswald ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 7, 2023
From curds to riches, from meltdown to uplift—this multicourse romp delivers.
A winning wheel of cheddar with braggadocio to match narrates a tale of comeuppance and redemption.
From humble beginnings among kitchen curds living “quiet lives of pasteurization,” the Big Cheese longs to be the best and builds success and renown based on proven skills and dependable results: “I stuck to the things I was good at.” When newcomer Wedge moves to the village of Curds-on-Whey, the Cheese’s star status wobbles and falls. Turns out that quiet, modest Wedge is also multitalented. At the annual Cheese-cathlon, Wedge bests six-time winner Cheese in every event, from the footrace and chess to hat making and bread buttering. A disappointed Cheese throws a full-blown tantrum before arriving at a moment of truth: Self-calming, conscious breathing permits deep relief that losing—even badly—does not result in disaster. A debrief with Wedge “that wasn’t all about me” leads to further realizations: Losing builds empathy for others; obsession with winning obscures “the joy of participating.” The chastened cheddar learns to reserve bragging for lifting up friends, because anyone can be the Big Cheese. More didactic and less pun-rich than previous entries in the Food Group series, this outing nevertheless couples a cheerful refrain with pithy life lessons that hit home. Oswald’s detailed, comical illustrations continue to provide laughs, including a spot with Cheese onstage doing a “CHED” talk.
From curds to riches, from meltdown to uplift—this multicourse romp delivers. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9780063329508
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
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