by Max Dalton ; illustrated by Max Dalton ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2012
With whole stories unfurling in each image, the book has potential for classroom use as well as for solo enjoyment.
A witty, sophisticated book of opposites.
“Too big”: A dismayed big-game hunter looks down at three colossal footprints while his porters chuckle at his discomfiture. “Too small”: A bearded castaway leans against a palm tree on an islet that’s just barely big enough. “Too late”: A quartet of dinosaurs, bags packed, dolefully watches the ark disappearing over the horizon. “Too early”: A rooster crows, silhouetted in the window against a starry night sky, with an irate would-be sleeper glaring at him from bed. Not for children just learning opposites, these illustrations invite older kids to study visual irony—sometimes with guidance. While most kids will get “too heavy/too light” (a stork struggles to carry a baby elephant in a sling; a child is carried aloft by a just-bought balloon), other images may require some explanation. “Too noisy” depicts a couple of mimes, aghast, with a squalling baby; “too quiet” presents a scuba diver in the embrace of a giant octopus, trying in vain to signal another diver, who’s swimming away. The cartoons’ hip, limited palette and dry wit will appeal to adults, but the images never lose sight of the child audience, as is manifest in a couple of quite funny underwear-related gags (“too loose/too tight”).
With whole stories unfurling in each image, the book has potential for classroom use as well as for solo enjoyment. (Picture book. 6-10)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-56792-503-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Godine
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2013
Share your opinion of this book
More by Peter Ackerman
BOOK REVIEW
by Peter Ackerman ; illustrated by Max Dalton
BOOK REVIEW
by Peter Ackerman ; illustrated by Max Dalton
BOOK REVIEW
by Peter Ackerman & illustrated by Max Dalton
Awards & Accolades
Our Verdict
GET IT
New York Times Bestseller
Caldecott Honor Book
by Brendan Wenzel ; illustrated by Brendan Wenzel ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 30, 2016
A solo debut for Wenzel showcasing both technical chops and a philosophical bent.
Awards & Accolades
Our Verdict
GET IT
New York Times Bestseller
Caldecott Honor Book
Wouldn’t the same housecat look very different to a dog and a mouse, a bee and a flea, a fox, a goldfish, or a skunk?
The differences are certainly vast in Wenzel’s often melodramatic scenes. Benign and strokable beneath the hand of a light-skinned child (visible only from the waist down), the brindled cat is transformed to an ugly, skinny slinker in a suspicious dog’s view. In a fox’s eyes it looks like delectably chubby prey but looms, a terrifying monster, over a cowering mouse. It seems a field of colored dots to a bee; jagged vibrations to an earthworm; a hairy thicket to a flea. “Yes,” runs the terse commentary’s refrain, “they all saw the cat.” Words in italics and in capital letters in nearly every line give said commentary a deliberate cadence and pacing: “The cat walked through the world, / with its whiskers, ears, and paws… // and the fish saw A CAT.” Along with inviting more reflective viewers to ruminate about perception and subjectivity, the cat’s perambulations offer elemental visual delights in the art’s extreme and sudden shifts in color, texture, and mood from one page or page turn to the next.
A solo debut for Wenzel showcasing both technical chops and a philosophical bent. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4521-5013-0
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
Share your opinion of this book
More by Brendan Wenzel
BOOK REVIEW
by Brendan Wenzel ; illustrated by Brendan Wenzel
BOOK REVIEW
by Beth Ferry ; illustrated by Brendan Wenzel
BOOK REVIEW
by Brendan Wenzel ; illustrated by Brendan Wenzel
by Ben Clanton ; illustrated by Ben Clanton ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2020
Cute and brave—gee, Rot’s spud-tacular!
A “scaredy-spud” puts on his brave face.
All “mutant potatoes” love mud. Mud is good for playing games, eating, and even sleeping. But few taters have more tender feelings toward muck than Rot. À la Pete the Cat, Rot celebrates mud in song: “Mud between my toes! / Mud in my nose! / Mud is GREAT / wherever it GOES!” When Rot’s big brother, Snot, tells Rot about the Squirm that lives “deep down in the mushy muck,” his love quickly turns to fear. But he doesn’t give up! Instead, Rot imagines himself in various disguises to work up courage. There’s “Super Spud” (a superhero), “Sir Super Rot, the Brave and Bold” (a superhero-knight), and even “Sir Super Rot the Pigtato” (a, um, superhero-knight-pig-potato). The disguises are one thing, but, deep down, is Rot really brave enough to face the Squirm? Readers wooed by Rot’s charm in Rot: The Cutest in the World (2017) will laugh out loud at this well-paced encore—and it’s not just because of the butt cracks. Clanton creates a winning dynamic, balancing Rot’s earnestness, witty dialogue, and an omniscient, slightly melodramatic narrator. The cartoon illustrations were created using watercolors, colored pencils, digital collage, and—brilliantly—potato stamps. Clanton’s reliance on earth tones makes for some clever, surprising page turns when the palette is broken.
Cute and brave—gee, Rot’s spud-tacular! (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: June 16, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4814-6764-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
Share your opinion of this book
More by Ben Clanton
BOOK REVIEW
by Ben Clanton & Andy Chou Musser ; illustrated by Ben Clanton & Andy Chou Musser
BOOK REVIEW
by Ben Clanton ; illustrated by Ben Clanton
BOOK REVIEW
by Ben Clanton ; illustrated by Ben Clanton
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.