Though few will go truly bananas for these piratical primates, there’s enough lighthearted buccaneering on display that at...
When it comes to bravery, “nearly fearless” doesn’t cut the mustard.
What’s better than pirates on the high seas? Monkey pirates on the high seas! A scurvy crew of four (the chain of command runs short in monkey circles) sets off to hunt down that most awesome prey, the octo-shark. Led by the “almost-brave” leader Capt. Banana Beard, a baboon prone to exaggeration and poor personal hygiene, the shipmates face off against toothy predators and polite octopuses before stumbling upon a most terrifying hybrid. Overlooking the not insignificant problem that the captain isn’t a monkey at all but an ape (belying the series title), this early chapter book sports a whimsical, cavalier attitude. At its best, it gives readers pirates that are engaged in farcical mishaps and wild misunderstandings—in other words, fun. It’s less successful when it tries for a bit of pathos (the lowly crewman is assured at the end that someday he’ll be a great pirate); this is not a book to consult for emotional resonance. Madcap illustrations perfectly capture the hijinks that insist upon ensuing.
Though few will go truly bananas for these piratical primates, there’s enough lighthearted buccaneering on display that at least some readers will look for the other books in this series. (glossary) (Animal fantasy. 7-9)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5158-2688-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Picture Window Books
Review Posted Online: June 10, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
This uninspired offering fails to compete well with other fantasies for young readers.
Exploring the wide world, pixies get into a bundle of troubles in this outing for readers already successfully into chapter books.
In this first of a series previously published in the UK, Titch and Mitch are pixie brothers, Titch the eldest by a year and a bit the braver of the pair. They pack up a little food and head off on a series of adventures that take them away from the safe haven of Pixie Valley and out into the human world where they are kidnapped by a schoolboy, then escape on a boat that crashes on an island. There they are befriended by a series of talking animals and rescue a fairy caught in a shrub. She provides them with a magical flying bicycle that they use to visit her, provide some dental services to a mouse-sized dragon and rescue a very smart turkey. Numerous detailed black-and-white sketches accompany these brief episodes and nicely break up text-heavy pages. Character development is nearly nonexistent, and while the brief adventures provide a mild amount of excitement, their superficiality sharply limits the potential impact. Magical elements seem flat and unimaginative. There is no conclusion, merely an abrupt end, where the next tale will presumably begin.
This uninspired offering fails to compete well with other fantasies for young readers. (Fantasy. 7-9)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-9567449-5-1
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Inside Pocket
Review Posted Online: Sept. 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Vague martial arts platitudes told but not really taught.
Chua’s energetic cartoon scenes of children in graceful martial arts poses fail to animate this ponderous tale of dissonance in kung fu class.
Rival yellow belts Julie and new student Brandon have thrown one another badly off their rhythms on the mat. Seeing this, their instructor, or Sifu, pairs them up and sends them outdoors for private lessons with his own teacher, Master Zhou—an elderly woman, in a very nice twist. In time, the two students become good partners, regain their mental balance and go on to ace their orange-belt tests. Rather than mention specific techniques, Chin intersperses hyperbolic lines such as “Brandon struck like a lion. Julie soared like an eagle.” Portentous statements include “Though sparks may fly, two blades can sharpen each other,” and “Kung fu means strengthening your own discipline and ability.” In a subplot capped by an anticlimactic, clumsily handled surprise, the author shoehorns in episodes from a parallel-themed martial arts movie for which Master Zhou apparently turns out to have been a technical adviser. Chua’s images of figures with wide, bright eyes—and in Julie’s case, a pink kitty hairpin—add plenty of visual syrup but not enough to make this palatable.
Vague martial arts platitudes told but not really taught. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-59702-079-4
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Immedium
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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