Both the devilry of Tom and the clever inclusion of the consequences of his act invest this story with real charm and make the attending lesson in time most palatable. Tom, who has a head shaped like a paintbrush, discovers a can of red paint under the kitchen sink. It takes him three seconds to figure out what to do with it and three minutes to get the lid off. He paints the entire living room red. His mother goes ballistic; then it takes three weeks to clean up the mess, and each step of the process is delineated. They rent a dumpster for the destroyed furniture, strip the wallpaper, sand the woodwork, pick the paint, reject the paint they picked, and on and on in increasingly smaller typeface that makes readers feel as if they are spinning into the void. Once the mess is cleaned up, a year goes by, then two, then three, and an older Tom finds a can of blue paint under the kitchen sink. It’s a witty lesson, especially with the infusion of the cautionary element and the sense of time it imparts. (Picture book. 3-7)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2000
ISBN: 1-888444-63-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
Not for the first time, the heroine of a picture book steps into some museum paintings and learns a little about the artists and their eras. In search of flowers for her grandmother, Katie first steps into a Monet, “The Luncheon,” and romps with the painter’s son, Jean. Next Katie drops in on Renoir’s “Girl with a Watering Can,” revisits Jean in Monet’s “Field of Poppies,” and eventually ends up on stage with Degas’s ballerinas. The dissolving boundaries of these paintings communicate to children how art provides a window into the past, while Mayhew’s illustrations are light-filled and playful, complementing the styles of the inset reproductions. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-531-30151-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orchard
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
The world is a perilous place, or so it seems to a small cub named Alfie. This bear’s journey to the jungle playground is filled with encounters: with a snapping crocodile, undulating python, menacing jackal, and a fearsome tiger. Fortunately for Alfie, his mother accompanies him, offering reassurance and a place to hide, all the while providing useful advice, e.g., “Let the jackal run along.” Every harrowing (at least for Alfie) event is calmly resolved as the wild creatures continue on their way and Alfie is seen in the final spread cheerfully sliding down the trunk of an elephant. Children will delight in rescuing Alfie by pulling tabs that send him into his mother’s arms or behind her back when danger approaches. Clark’s vividly hued jungle habitat offers a glimpse of a unique assortment of animals not commonly seen in board books. While Alfie perceives the various creatures as threatening, Clark carefully prevents them from appearing so to readers. It may be a wild world out there, but Alfie learns that with proper care, it’s a manageable one. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-531-30127-3
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Orchard
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1999
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