A lighthearted series opener.
Two fox siblings, refugees from the Big City, find a friendlier (if occasionally dangerous) new home.
“No real animals were harmed in the making of this book,” Shireen writes, and though that’s true in the literal sense, there’s plenty of damage to fictive ones. With their parents long gone (but maybe someday coming back?) sweet little Ted and his grumpy, protective big sister, Nancy, are eking out existence as dumpster divers—until Ted mistakes the tail of vicious kitty Princess Buttons for a hot dog and bites it off. Thinking it might be wise to lie low for a bit, the two scarper off to the happy forest community of Grimwood, where helmet-wearing squirrels compete in wild games of “treebonk,” antlered mayor Titus Wildhorns has friendly greetings and a gift basket for them, and Ted is soon enlisted by the local community theater to replace a rat who has just had his head bitten off by Pamela the eagle (“A bird has to eat”). Along with genuine “spot art” made up of fingerprints, coffee stains, and spatters of ink, the author decorates this sylvan idyll with charming and hilarious loosely drawn vignettes and occasional commentary by a pillbug named Eric sporting a straw boater. Princess Buttons does eventually show up, bent on vengeance, setting the stage for a dramatic climax. The action, humor, and ample illustrations give this much reader appeal.
A lighthearted series opener. (Animal fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: May 30, 2023
ISBN: 9781524882259
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
Utterly believable, this bittersweet story, complete with an author’s note identifying the real Ivan, will inspire a new...
How Ivan confronts his harrowing past yet stays true to his nature exemplifies everything youngsters need to know about courage.
Living in a "domain" of glass, metal and cement at the Big Top Mall, Ivan sometimes forgets whether to act like a gorilla or a human—except Ivan does not think much of humans. He describes their behavior as frantic, whereas he is a peaceful artist. Fittingly, Ivan narrates his tale in short, image-rich sentences and acute, sometimes humorous, observations that are all the more heartbreaking for their simple delivery. His sorrow is palpable, but he stoically endures the cruelty of humans until Ruby the baby elephant is abused. In a pivotal scene, Ivan finally admits his domain is a cage, and rather than let Ruby live and die in grim circumstances, he promises to save her. In order to express his plea in a painting, Ivan must bravely face buried memories of the lush jungle, his family and their brutal murder, which is recounted in a brief, powerful chapter sure to arouse readers’ passions. In a compelling ending, the more challenging question Applegate poses is whether or not Ivan will remember what it was like to be a gorilla. Spot art captures poignant moments throughout.
Utterly believable, this bittersweet story, complete with an author’s note identifying the real Ivan, will inspire a new generation of advocates. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 17, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-06-199225-4
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
Dizzyingly silly.
The famous superhero returns to fight another villain with all the trademark wit and humor the series is known for.
Despite the title, Captain Underpants is bizarrely absent from most of this adventure. His school-age companions, George and Harold, maintain most of the spotlight. The creative chums fool around with time travel and several wacky inventions before coming upon the evil Turbo Toilet 2000, making its return for vengeance after sitting out a few of the previous books. When the good Captain shows up to save the day, he brings with him dynamic action and wordplay that meet the series’ standards. The Captain Underpants saga maintains its charm even into this, the 11th volume. The epic is filled to the brim with sight gags, toilet humor, flip-o-ramas and anarchic glee. Holding all this nonsense together is the author’s good-natured sense of harmless fun. The humor is never gross or over-the-top, just loud and innocuous. Adults may roll their eyes here and there, but youngsters will eat this up just as quickly as they devoured every other Underpants episode.
Dizzyingly silly. (Humor. 8-10)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-50490-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
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