Better not read this at bedtime: curious children will want to see all that Mr. Moon does.
As Miss Sun heads to bed, Mr. Moon takes over supervisory duties for the world.
The sheep, balls of white fluff under nightcaps, must be counted and the clouds fluffed. “The stars arrive, tap-dancing on a moonbeam. / The cows jump high and try to land safely.” Astronaut-helmeted cows with oxygen tanks float in space over a broadly smiling Earth to illustrate the latter statement. What else does the moon observe from his high post? Fireflies, friendly ghosts searching for a home, crickets singing to ladybugs, a raccoon breakfast, anthropomorphized “dewdrops prepar[ing] to greet the dawn,” a train, alley cats, and a boy who requests his company since he can’t fall asleep. Paraskevas’ artwork fairly glows with the intensity of the colors used, and the pictures are a nice mix of drollery and scenes that emphasize the romantic lure that is nighttime, matching the same balance found in the text: “The old train whistles, rumbling across the countryside toward the bright lights of the big city. / Alley cats drum a bebop beat as they rattle trash cans in the street.”
Better not read this at bedtime: curious children will want to see all that Mr. Moon does. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-399-54992-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: June 27, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016
A disappointing follow-up.
Inventor Izzy Gizmo is back in this sequel to her eponymous debut (2017).
While busily inventing one day, Izzy receives an invitation from the Genius Guild to their annual convention. Though Izzy’s “inventions…don’t always work,” Grandpa (apparently her sole caregiver) encourages her to go. The next day they undertake a long journey “over fields, hills, and waves” and “mile after mile” to isolated Technoff Isle. There, Izzy finds she must compete against four other kids to create the most impressive machine. The colorful, detail-rich illustrations chronicle how poor Izzy is thwarted at every turn by Abi von Lavish, a Veruca Salt–esque character who takes all the supplies for herself. But when Abi abandons her project, Izzy salvages the pieces and decides to take Grandpa’s advice to create a machine that “can really be put to good use.” A frustrated Izzy’s impatience with a friend almost foils her chance at the prize, but all’s well that ends well. There’s much to like: Brown-skinned inventor girl Izzy is an appealing character, it’s great to see a nurturing brown-skinned male caregiver, the idea of an “Invention Convention” is fun, and a sustainable-energy invention is laudable. However, these elements don’t make up for rhymes that often feel forced and a lackluster story.
A disappointing follow-up. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68263-164-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.
A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.
A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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