Not nearly as fresh as Yours Sincerely, Giraffe but not a total bust, either.
Building upon Yours Sincerely, Giraffe (2017), Professor Whale organizes an Olympics.
Author Iwasa sets her story at Whale Point, with Professor Whale as the protagonist (although now he is retired, he would really like to be called the more casual “Whaley” or “Big Blue”). When Professor Whale sends out many letters via Seal in his attempt to follow Giraffe’s lead from the first book and discover new animals in the world, his only answer is from Wally, a young whale who lives at Otto Island—a disappointment, as Professor Whale was expecting a letter from an animal he wouldn’t normally meet. Turns out, though, Wally is the grandson of an old friend of Professor Whale’s who moved away in the big migration. Wally mentions an Olympics held long ago at Whale Point, at which his grandfather won a silver medal, and Professor Whale is inspired to organize another one. This part is delightfully silly, since the events are: a seal swimming race, a penguin walking race, and a whale spouting contest. Overall, though, the story labors to sparkle, mostly because it’s so predictable—even many of Takabatake’s black-and-white spot illustrations lack pizzazz. The story’s theme of friendship plays out in regular helpings of goodness on the parts of the characters, and while kindness and friendship are wonderful things, a bit of spice is nice too.
Not nearly as fresh as Yours Sincerely, Giraffe but not a total bust, either. (Fantasy. 6-10)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-776572-06-9
Page Count: 104
Publisher: Gecko Press
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
A kind child in a book for middle-grade readers? There’s no downside to that.
Beatrice Zinker is a kinder, gentler Judy Moody.
Beatrice doesn’t want to be fit in a box. Her first word was “WOW,” not “Mom.” She does her best thinking upside down and prefers to dress like a ninja. Like Judy Moody, she has patient parents and a somewhat annoying younger brother. (She also has a perfectly ordinary older sister.) Beatrice spends all summer planning a top-secret spy operation complete with secret codes and a secret language (pig Latin). But on the first day of third grade, her best friend, Lenny (short for Eleanor), shows up in a dress, with a new friend who wants to play veterinarian at recess. Beatrice, essentially a kind if somewhat quirky kid, struggles to see the upside of the situation and ends up with two friends instead of one. Line drawings on almost every spread add to the humor and make the book accessible to readers who might otherwise balk at its 160 pages. Thankfully, the rhymes in the text do not continue past the first chapter. Children will enjoy the frequent puns and Beatrice’s preference for climbing trees and hanging upside down. The story drifts dangerously close to pedantry when Beatrice asks for advice from a grandmotherly neighbor but is saved by likable characters and upside-down cake. Beatrice seems to be white; Lenny’s surname, Santos, suggests that she may be Latina; their school is a diverse one.
A kind child in a book for middle-grade readers? There’s no downside to that. (Fiction. 6-10)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4847-6738-2
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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