Not much to chew on here.
Magical travel, doggy style.
When Sparky, a yappy mutt, unearths a magic bone, he is transported to Buckingham Palace. There, he quickly befriends a bossy corgi who helps him navigate the new terrain. Though the story is told in Sparky’s ingenuous first-canine voice, it’s clear that Sparky is a less-than-obedient dog. Young readers will revel in his naughtiness, especially when he upbraids his appendages for causing all his troubles. Eventually, he is captured and sent to the pound and escapes again, this time with new dog pal Watson, a forlorn little mongrel. Together, they find the bone again and test out the magic. The dog’s point of view wears thin in spots, especially when Sparky sinks into potty talk: “tooting” when eating beans and sniffing a human’s behind. Calculated to capture the Captain Underpants crowd, these diversions interfere with the dog voice and detract from the true humor of the story. The constant reference to humans as “two-legs” when Sparky seems to have a good command of other vocabulary seems forced, as well. Black-and-white illustrations grace most spreads and add smiles and energy. Emerging readers, especially dog lovers, will find this light fare easy to read but not particularly meaty.
Not much to chew on here. (London facts) (Fantasy. 5-8)Pub Date: May 16, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-448-46399-5
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader!
Fun with friends makes for a great day.
Norbit, a salmon-colored worm with a pink kerchief, joyfully greets the day and everyone he encounters. “Hello, friends! It’s time for fun with the sun! Let’s play!” He and his menagerie of forest pals—including the sun, who grows limbs and descends from the sky—exuberantly engage in various forms of physical activity such as jumping, going down a slide, spinning around, and watching the clouds go by. Young readers will readily relate, as these are games that most children are familiar with. As day turns to night, Norbit says farewell to Sun and welcomes Moon with an invitation to continue the fun. Watkins has created a vivid world of movement and merriment. Her illustrations feature bright bursts of color that match the energy of the text, with most sentences ending in an exclamation point. The author/illustrator incorporates many elements that make for an ideal early-reading experience (despite the use of a contraction or two): art free from clutter, text consisting of words with only one or two syllables, and repetition and recurring bits, such as a continued game of hide-and-seek with Sun. Inspired by never-before-seen sketches from the Dr. Seuss Collection archives at the University of California San Diego, this is the first title for Seuss Studios, a new imprint for original stories from “emerging authors and illustrators” who “honor Seuss’s hallmark spirit of creativity and imagination.”
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader! (author's note) (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780593646212
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Seuss Studios
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A light dose of natural history, with occasional “EWWW!” for flavor
Having surveyed worms, spiders, flies, and head lice, Gravel continues her Disgusting Critters series with a quick hop through toad fact and fancy.
The facts are briefly presented in a hand-lettered–style typeface frequently interrupted by visually emphatic interjections (“TOXIN,” “PREY,” “EWWW!”). These are, as usual, paired to simply drawn cartoons with comments and punch lines in dialogue balloons. After casting glances at the common South American ancestor of frogs and toads, and at such exotic species as the Emei mustache toad (“Hey ladies!”), Gravel focuses on the common toad, Bufo bufo. Using feminine pronouns throughout, she describes diet and egg-laying, defense mechanisms, “warts,” development from tadpole to adult, and of course how toads shed and eat their skins. Noting that global warming and habitat destruction have rendered some species endangered or extinct, she closes with a plea and, harking back to those South American origins, an image of an outsized toad, arm in arm with a dark-skinned lad (in a track suit), waving goodbye: “Hasta la vista!”
A light dose of natural history, with occasional “EWWW!” for flavor . (Informational picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-77049-667-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2016
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