Cute critters, compassionate kids, and community—what’s not to love?
In five interweaving stories, local suburban kids bond with pets and gain social-emotional skills thanks to Animal Rescue Friends, their local shelter.
In Chapter 1, brown-skinned, fluffy-ponytailed Maddie bonds with a stray dog only to surrender him to Animal Rescue Friends when her landlord reminds her mom of their apartment’s no-pet policy. In Chapter 2, a family of ferrets helps type A shelter volunteer Bell, a White-presenting girl with glasses, learn her limits and know when to ask for help. In Chapter 3, Mikey Ramirez, a brown-skinned Latinx boy, is anxious about the crowds at ARF’s Adoption Day, but a feisty bunny helps him stand up to bullies. Chapter 4 sees Noah, who presents Black, win over an ornery stray cat, reassess his priorities, and model kinder ways to have fun for his friend and neighborhood bully Jimmy, a White boy. The final chapter unites the whole crew as Maddie learns that the owner of her favorite shelter pup has been searching for him and her plans for a final special afternoon with him go awry. Characters have a uniform (thin) body type, but their skin color, hair texture, and implied racial and ethnic identities vary. Clear lines, bright colors, and a semirealistic cartoon style exude friendliness and combine with adorable animals to make a highly appealing read. An extensive behind-the-scenes introduction to how comics are made, written by Whitney Matheson, profiles some comics creators for kids and outlines different creative roles and processes with straightforward enthusiasm.
Cute critters, compassionate kids, and community—what’s not to love? (glossary) (Graphic fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: June 15, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5248-6806-2
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2021
Another winner from Mills, equally well suited to reading aloud and independent reading.
When Franklin School principal Mr. Boone announces a pet-show fundraiser, white third-grader Cody—whose lack of skill and interest in academics is matched by keen enthusiasm for and knowledge of animals—discovers his time to shine.
As with other books in this series, the children and adults are believable and well-rounded. Even the dialogue is natural—no small feat for a text easily accessible to intermediate readers. Character growth occurs, organically and believably. Students occasionally, humorously, show annoyance with teachers: “He made mad squinty eyes at Mrs. Molina, which fortunately she didn’t see.” Readers will be kept entertained by Cody’s various problems and the eventual solutions. His problems include needing to raise $10 to enter one of his nine pets in the show (he really wants to enter all of them), his troublesome dog Angus—“a dog who ate homework—actually, who ate everything and then threw up afterward”—struggles with homework, and grappling with his best friend’s apparently uncaring behavior toward a squirrel. Serious values and issues are explored with a light touch. The cheery pencil illustrations show the school’s racially diverse population as well as the memorable image of Mr. Boone wearing an elephant costume. A minor oddity: why does a child so immersed in animal facts call his male chicken a rooster but his female chickens chickens?
Another winner from Mills, equally well suited to reading aloud and independent reading. (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: June 14, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-374-30223-8
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look...
Winning actually isn’t everything, as jazz-happy Rooster learns when he goes up against the legendary likes of Mules Davis and Ella Finchgerald at the barnyard talent show.
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look good—particularly after his “ ‘Hen from Ipanema’ [makes] / the barnyard chickies swoon.”—but in the end the competition is just too stiff. No matter: A compliment from cool Mules and the conviction that he still has the world’s best band soon puts the strut back in his stride. Alexander’s versifying isn’t always in tune (“So, he went to see his cousin, / a pianist of great fame…”), and despite his moniker Rooster plays an electric bass in Bower’s canted country scenes. Children are unlikely to get most of the jokes liberally sprinkled through the text, of course, so the adults sharing it with them should be ready to consult the backmatter, which consists of closing notes on jazz’s instruments, history and best-known musicians.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-58536-688-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
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.
bookshelf
