A truly oddball account of one man’s willful ignorance.
Donley (Farmer Tice, 2016, etc.) offers more tales of a bumbling farmer in this sequel.
No matter what he does, Farmer Tice of the town of Hokum always seems to make a fool of himself. Life for him seems to be one long string of blunderings, from his inability to fight his way out of a literal paper bag to his ongoing war with his wife, Honeybunch. At one point, he goes to the county fair only to find himself stranded at the top of a roller coaster. The incident might not have been so bad if Tice hadn’t urinated in his pants and been laughed at by a large crowd. Another time, Tice tries to get rich by peddling women’s hair elixir only to have customers ending up hairless and eager to sue. For all of Tice’s efforts, he usually winds up being forced to sleep in a barn or, if he really gets into trouble, jail. But although readers know that things won’t end well for the farmer, they won’t be able to predict what mischief he’ll get himself into. This installment of Tice’s misfortunes is slightly less crude than the first (although bodily functions still play a large role). However, it’s far more eccentric: Tice manages to wind up in England at one point, and at another, he even hosts a massive, Woodstock-like environmentalist rally on his farm. However, some of the protagonist’s mishaps prove to be more tedious than creative, as when he faces difficulty dealing with snoring ranch hands and when his truck gets towed, due to a parking violation. Tice never learns from his mistakes, but his ceaseless endurance may, in its own way, be motivational for readers. If only the poor farmer would think about what happened the last time he ignored obvious “No Parking” signs.
A truly oddball account of one man’s willful ignorance.Pub Date: July 25, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5446-0816-7
Page Count: 138
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An enjoyable picture book that addresses important issues in a kid-friendly way without being preachy.
Willenbrock’s heartwarming debut picture book is the autobiographical story of how she came to share her home with a special shelter dog.
Told from the perspective of Marshall, Willenbrock’s dog, this tale tells of his unpleasant life in the home of a dog hoarder, where food for the dogs was so scarce that they fought each other at mealtime. In one of these fights, Marshall’s front leg was broken and his face was badly bitten. When animal rescuers finally found out about the animal hoarder and took the dogs away, Marshall was in such sorry shape that they didn’t know if he would make it. He ended up losing his damaged front leg and his face remained badly scarred, yet he describes the compassion of the humane society workers who helped him learn how to walk and run on three legs. He meets his new “mom” (owner) and adjusts to a life of freedom with her and her other dog, Mooshy. Though life is good, Marshall is insecure and nervous about how other dogs and people will react to the fact that he has only three legs and a big scar on his face, but he’s pleasantly surprised by the kindness of others. Heimbaugh’s realistic colored-pencil illustrations help bring Marshall’s story to life. Due to wordiness and the use of some bigger words—celebrity, socialize, limitations—this book will most likely work better as a read-aloud with school-age children. It also lends itself to discussions about the humane treatment of animals and discussions about bullying.
An enjoyable picture book that addresses important issues in a kid-friendly way without being preachy.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0615666259
Page Count: 40
Publisher: The Marshall Movement
Review Posted Online: Oct. 9, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Unanswered questions and heavy-handed writing drain intrigue from this not-so-spooky story.
Three friends unravel old secrets lurking beneath the surface of a picture-perfect town in this young adult mystery.
Fallon and her best friend, Blair, live in the town of Whitford, a “sort of old fashioned” place where “everyone knows everyone else.” Nothing ever goes wrong there, except for local 16-year-old girls’ penchant for drowning in Whitford Pond on their 16th birthdays. That is, nothing ever goes wrong until Blair, Fallon and their new friend Lila start investigating the drownings as part of a history project. Soon after the girls paddle out to the spooky island at the middle of the pond where its victims are buried, Fallon discovers that she’s related to the pond’s first victim: Elizabeth Mason, who was engaged to the prosperous son of the town jeweler before her supposed suicide in 1750. By poking around the town historical society and badgering Fallon’s lively grandmother, Nana, the girls realize that something sinister lurks beneath Whitford’s bucolic surface. It’s only when the trio heads to the fourth floor of Whitford’s public library in search of A Genealogy of the Noble Families of Whitford: A History that they realize their quest is putting them in danger. Blair and Fallon’s friendship feels comfortable and credible, although the addition of “exotic” Lila seems like a strained plot device rather than a real-life event. Indeed, much of the plotting is convenient rather than clever; the girls’ discoveries primarily result from pushing Nana to give them information or snooping around Nana’s house—and the developments that aren’t related to Nana are foreshadowed so heavily that they come as no surprise. Another distraction: Every time that the inhabitants of Whitford scream or emphasize a turn of phrase, Fredo uses capital letters. They’re are unnecessary, for example, when Fallon says, “I JUST HAD THE BEST IDEA EVER!”
Unanswered questions and heavy-handed writing drain intrigue from this not-so-spooky story.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 172
Publisher: iUniverse
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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