Short on savvy, long on oafishness, this ode to frustration is as balky as the theme. Albert, a hippopotamus, settles down to a nap. A mosquito makes an appearance, bedeviling the planned siesta. Albert loses his composure and with increasing ferocity, pursues the little bloodsucker, first with his hand and eventually by hurling the contents of the entire house. Naptime resumes when Albert opens a window and the pest flies out. The vibrant, raggedy- edged watercolors float amiably on a sea of white, but unlike Grejniec's previous books (Good Morning, Good Night, 1993, etc.) the story itself feels artificial from start to finish. Neither character inspires any sympathy, and it's not always clear just who is uttering the lines of minimalist text; if that ambiguity is intended, it's likely to confuse the book's audience. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: May 15, 1995
ISBN: 1-55858-279-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1995
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Though this celebration of community is joyful, there just is not much here.
A sugary poem, very loosely based on the familiar song, lacks focus.
Using only the refrain from the original (“One love, one heart, let’s get together and feel all right!”), the reggae great’s daughter Cedella Marley sees this song as her “happy song” and adapts it for children. However, the adaptation robs it of life. After the opening lines, readers familiar with the original song (or the tourism advertisement for Jamaica) will be humming along only to be stopped by the bland lines that follow: “One love, what the flower gives the bee.” and then “One love, what Mother Earth gives the tree.” Brantley-Newton’s sunny illustrations perfectly reflect the saccharine quality of the text. Starting at the beginning of the day, readers see a little girl first in bed, under a photograph of Bob Marley, the sun streaming into her room, a bird at the window. Each spread is completely redundant—when the text is about family love, the illustration actually shows little hearts floating from her parents to the little girl. An image of a diverse group getting ready to plant a community garden, walking on top of a river accompanies the words “One love, like the river runs to the sea.”
Though this celebration of community is joyful, there just is not much here. (afterword) (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4521-0224-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2011
A soothing, bright-as-noon introduction to school that ought to help chase away any shim-shams that first-timers might be experiencing. From the start, Sturges delivers an upbeat note: “School, school, school, / I love school!” and keeps it going strong throughout the simple, rhymed text: “With all my friends I laugh and sing. / I talk about most everything.” Halpern’s artwork is as simple and primary as the verse, with kids going through their day of drawing and the alphabet, lunch, and recess. They celebrate their teacher and their good fortune at having such a neat place to go each day. Some readers will complain that this is a classic piece of avoidance, but its sunny disposition can’t help making school look fun. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: July 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-06-009284-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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