A richly illustrated, music-centric tale that emphasizes positivity, authenticity, and the power of music.
A blues-loving gorilla inspires those around him, even as he longs to get on stage himself.
Uncle Boog, a gorilla known for his signature hat and dobro guitar, always has a smile and kind word for the other animals in town. A chef at the Mushroom, a restaurant and live music venue, Uncle Boog’s love of music runs deep: “He closed both his eyes to hear each new note flow. / What pleasure not knowing where each note will go.” He soon runs into different members of the club’s band who are struggling with various problems: Cliff the horse is made fun of for playing drums; Clara the rabbit becomes discouraged while learning the banjo; and Chuck the bear doesn’t feel appreciated as a bassist. Uncle Boog offers advice to each. In turn, he’s thanked by the band and invited to play with them that evening. Jantscher’s simple aabb rhyme scheme sometimes feels forced, but it works to convey simple uplifting sentiments: like the importance of following one’s passion with or without recognition. Record’s illustrations truly shine, with color-saturated pages often dominated by one hue (deep blues and purples, sunny reds and oranges, etc.). The cartoonish images of the animals dancing and emotional use of color bolsters the reader’s ability to feel Uncle Boog’s song lyrics. This book will likely appeal to young readers who find themselves drawn to both the physical and audio world around them.
A richly illustrated, music-centric tale that emphasizes positivity, authenticity, and the power of music.Pub Date: March 1, 2023
ISBN: 9798218065706
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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