Kipper, the perky black-eared pup, returns in a lift-the-flap salute to soggy weather. With the help of some rainy-day friends, he explores which animals enjoy the wet weather. From frogs to snails, readers lift the flaps to unveil a myriad of creatures that relish the damp. Each spread contains a question on one page with the answer, lurking beneath the illustrated flaps, on the other. The content of the questions is simple enough to engage the young children—tell what you do in a puddle, identify which animal in a pond likes the rain, etc.—and right on target for preschoolers just beginning to hone their observation skills. The clean, rounded lines of the drawings are signature Inkpen (Kipper and Roly, p. 941, etc.) while bold splashes of color enliven the simply rendered pages. Kipper, as charmingly endearing as ever, is joined by a parade of adorable pigs, ducks, frogs, and others to beguile readers. A cheerful tale to chase away the rainy-day blues and encourage youngsters to don their foul weather gear and make like the ducks. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-15-216351-4
Page Count: 12
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2001
Watching unlikely friends finally be as “happy as two someones can be” feels like being enveloped in your very own hug.
What to do when you’re a prickly animal hankering for a hug? Why, find another misfit animal also searching for an embrace!
Sweet but “tricky to hug” little Hedgehog is down in the dumps. Wandering the forest, Hedgehog begs different animals for hugs, but each rejects them. Readers will giggle at their panicked excuses—an evasive squirrel must suddenly count its three measly acorns; a magpie begins a drawn-out song—but will also be indignant on poor hedgehog’s behalf. Hedgehog has the appealingly pink-cheeked softness typical of Dunbar’s art, and the gentle watercolors are nonthreatening, though she also captures the animals’ genuine concern about being poked. A wise owl counsels the dejected hedgehog that while the prickles may frighten some, “there’s someone for everyone.” That’s when Hedgehog spots a similarly lonely tortoise, rejected due to its “very hard” shell but perfectly matched for a spiky new friend. They race toward each other until the glorious meeting, marked with swoony peach swirls and overjoyed grins. At this point, readers flip the book to hear the same gloomy tale from the tortoise’s perspective until it again culminates in that joyous hug, a book turn that’s made a pleasure with thick creamy paper and solid binding.
Watching unlikely friends finally be as “happy as two someones can be” feels like being enveloped in your very own hug. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-571-34875-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
Enhancing the Amazing Machines series aimed at preschoolers, Mitton deals with the vehicles that kids and adults use every day. He offers, however, the unique perspective of the role cars play in our lives: “Cars are really handy / for getting us around.” But there’s so much more. In lilting rhymes, this informal guide glances at the way drivers use signs and signals to navigate streets. It also looks at how a car is driven from the pedals on up, how to keep a car running with gas and care and even how to keep it spiffy with a wash. Mitton touches on different types of cars from off-road vehicles to racing cars. There’s frustration, too, with driving: “Sometimes there’s a traffic jam. / The vehicles all get stuck.” The illustrations, painted in zesty watercolors, have a cartoon appeal featuring round-eyed animals, such as gophers, mice and cats. Topping it all off with a simple diagram of car parts, this is an enjoyable learning tool that will surely ignite curiosity. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: June 16, 2005
ISBN: 0-7534-5802-0
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Kingfisher
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2005
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