Let’s hear it for all the little guys: Who doesn’t dream about getting the upper hand once in a while?
A diminutive, possumlike creature outsmarts monsters, if inadvertently.
It snows and the river freezes over. Little Mo’s parents, going out to forage, caution him to remain in their cave and not to tread on the ice. But a bored and lonely Little Mo ventures outside anyway and builds snow friends. He hides when enormous, dinosaurlike monsters emerge and settle into the cave. Mustering some courage, Little Mo explains that they must leave. The biggest monster chases Little Mo, threatening to devour him—but, running across the frozen river, the heavy creature falls in. While the other monsters attempt to rescue their pal, Little Mo easily skims across the ice and ascends a snowy hill. He slips and rolls…and rolls, eventually turning into a gigantic snowball. This behemoth panics the monsters, who flee. The snowball splits and opens just as Little Mo’s parents return, bearing food. He assures them that he didn’t get bored while they were gone, and the gigantic footprints Dad sees belong to visitors he chased off. This cute, if unoriginal, U.K. import will appeal to all readers who fantasize that, though they’re small, they can handily vanquish larger foes; kids will root for Little Mo all the way. The illustrations are lively, and the monsters aren’t too scary.
Let’s hear it for all the little guys: Who doesn’t dream about getting the upper hand once in a while? (note on prehistoric animals and their evolution) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Jan. 9, 2024
ISBN: 9780500653449
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: Nov. 12, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2023
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Young readers will be “antsy” to join the hero on her satisfying escapade.
An ant explores her world.
Addie Ant’s ready for adventure. Despite some trepidation about leaving the Tomato Bed, where she lives with her aunt, she plucks up her courage and ventures forth across the garden to the far side of the shed. On her journey, she meets her pal Lewis Ladybug, who greets her warmly, points the way, and offers sage advice. When Addie arrives at her destination, she’s welcomed by lovely Beatrix Butterfly and enjoys an “ant-tastic” helping of watermelon. Beatrix also provides Addie with take-home treats and a map for the “Cricket Express,” which will take her straight home. Arriving at the terminal, Addie’s delighted to meet another friend, Cleo Cricket, whose carriage service returns Addie home in “two hops.” After eating a warm tomato soup dinner, Addie falls asleep and dreams of future exploits. Adorable though not terribly original, this story brims with sensuous pleasures, both textual and visual. Kids who declare that they dislike fruits or veggies may find their mouths watering at the mentions and sights of luscious tomatoes, peas, beans, watermelons, berries, and other foodstuffs; insect-averse readers may likewise think differently after encountering these convivial, wide-eyed characters. And those flowers and herbs everywhere! The highlights are the colors that burst from the pages. Addie’s an endearing, empowering character who reassures children they’ll be able to take those first independent steps successfully.
Young readers will be “antsy” to join the hero on her satisfying escapade. (author’s note about ants) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 9, 2024
ISBN: 9781797228914
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
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