A gorilla learns a lesson about playing fairly with his friends in this preschool-perfect picture book by Stoller (Scarlet’s Magic Paintbrush, 2018, etc.), with eye-catching illustrations by Bartholomew (Alphatangle, 2016, etc.).
Gorilla loves to race with his friends, but he’s willing to break the rules to make sure he wins. When he and Penguin have a sliding race, Gorilla trips Penguin at the last second. Gorilla pulls Llama’s tail to stay in the lead. Unsurprisingly, no one wants to play with Gorilla after that. When Gopher arrives, Gorilla finds a kindred spirit who’s also willing to cheat to win! Luckily, when Gorilla cheats, Gopher uses words to object; likewise, when Gopher cheats, Gorilla objects. The two argue, unable to settle on fair rules until they both face off against Cheetah (who gives herself an early start). Realizing that neither of them likes to play with cheaters, Gorilla and Gopher and all their playground friends come up with fair rules to enjoy racing together. Bartholomew’s clever, colorful cartoon illustrations, especially showcasing the final “race” as a playground merry-go-round spinning, are well-shaded to show texture and depth. Stoller’s conclusion, in which the friends work as a team to create the type of fun where everyone wins, will resonate, especially with the preschool crowd.
With big pictures and few words on each page, a sure hit as a storytime read-aloud.Pub Date: Nov. 13, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-946101-69-3
Page Count: 38
Publisher: Spork
Review Posted Online: Oct. 8, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
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A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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The greening of Dr. Seuss, in an ecology fable with an obvious message but a savingly silly style. In the desolate land of the Lifted Lorax, an aged creature called the Once-ler tells a young visitor how he arrived long ago in the then glorious country and began manufacturing anomalous objects called Thneeds from "the bright-colored tufts of the Truffula Trees." Despite protests from the Lorax, a native "who speaks for the trees," he continues to chop down Truffulas until he drives away the Brown Bar-ba-loots who had fed on the Tuffula fruit, the Swomee-Swans who can't sing a note for the smogulous smoke, and the Humming-Fish who had hummed in the pond now glumped up with Gluppity-Glupp. As for the Once-let, "1 went right on biggering, selling more Thneeds./ And I biggered my money, which everyone needs" — until the last Truffula falls. But one seed is left, and the Once-let hands it to his listener, with a message from the Lorax: "UNLESS someone like you/ cares a whole awful lot,/ nothing is going to get better./ It's not." The spontaneous madness of the old Dr. Seuss is absent here, but so is the boredom he often induced (in parents, anyway) with one ridiculous invention after another. And if the Once-let doesn't match the Grinch for sheer irresistible cussedness, he is stealing a lot more than Christmas and his story just might induce a generation of six-year-olds to care a whole lot.
Pub Date: Aug. 12, 1971
ISBN: 0394823370
Page Count: 72
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Oct. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1971
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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