Watt debuts with a simple tale that is partly a celebration of physical differences and partly a lesson in color theory. Because Leon turns red when he sits on a (green) leaf, purple on (yellow) sand, and orange in (blue) water, he feels like an outsider. But this trait makes him a hero when, trailing the other young chameleons far out into the desert, he turns green under the red setting sun and so is visible from far off to the grown-up lizards coming to the rescue. Bright hues and simple shapes lend plenty of visual appeal to the illustrations, especially when the entire double-paged spread is one color (green, for instance) and Leon stands out like a sore thumb. These are the purest colors, too, strong and clear, a plus compared to what is often found in books on color. Watts explicates the ideas of primary and complementary colors next to an appended color wheel with Leon's tongue serving as a pointer. Perfect for the Little Blue and Little Yellow set, or as an alternative to Ellen Stoll Walsh's Mouse Paint (1989). (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 1-55074-867-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The art pops—and pops up.
Insect friends find ways of coping with each other’s differences.
As with Llenas’ The Color Monster (2018), the magnificent art will prove a stronger draw than the sketchy storyline. Ralph is a “roly-poly” with a hard shell, a gift for camouflage, and a preference for being in charge. Rita is a firefly—quick, flashy, and extroverted. At first such differences don’t matter, but in time they prove irritating enough to lead to a brief falling-out. With the willingness to make a few accommodations, though, the two find their relationship strong enough to survive and flower into, at the end, a closing smooch. Gatefolds, inset booklets, immense multilayered pop-ups that seem to burst up as they open, and pull tabs that create big, broad movements enhance illustrations created from layers and assemblages of large and small cut-paper bits, all further energized with transparent colors and added scribbly lines. Though Ralph and Rita have buglike attributes, they look like humans (both white) in costumes. Younger audiences will likely pay more attention to the tabs and pop-ups than the theme, but both pals are drawn with large, expressive faces that make it easy to track the ins and outs of their close, if occasionally stressed, relationship.
The art pops—and pops up. (Pop-up picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4549-3950-4
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Reader, meet Frogs and Dog—you won’t be sorry.
An early reader for the earliest of readers.
Trasler’s cartoon illustrations heighten the humor of her spare text, which has ample rhymes and assonance to support new decoders. While the title indicates just one frog, readers see that a trio of frogs (each evidently named Frog) is leery when Dog arrives on the scene, eager to play. Dog tries to befriend them, saying, “Hi. / Hi. / Hi,” to each one in turn in speech-balloon text. The illustrations show amphibious rebuffs, and then Dog, defeated, says, “SIGH.” The intrepid pup then tries to “Hop / Hop / Hop” like the frogs, but the result is a “FLOP.” An attempt to emulate the frogs as they “Leap / Leap / Leap” ends with a plunge into a “DEEP” pond. An effort to “Jump / Jump / Jump” results in a “THUMP” on a paper-wasp nest. “Go. / Go. / Go,” say the newly stung frogs. “Oh,” says Dog, slinking off, also bearing signs of several wasp stings. Frog, Frog, and Frog soon rue their words, however, when Bear arrives—whereupon Dog saves them by hurling the paper-wasp nest at Bear. “Ow! / Ow! / Ow!” yells Bear. “WOW!” say the frogs, who now welcome Dog to play with them and help their canine rescuer find success in keeping up with them. Step-by-step backmatter drawing instructions invite readers to draw the frogs, inviting an added layer of engagement with the book.
Reader, meet Frogs and Dog—you won’t be sorry. (Early reader. 5-7)Pub Date: May 5, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-338-54039-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Acorn/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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