A hop, skip and a jump away from The Neighborhood Mother Goose (2003), Crews once again places classic nursery fare in the middle of bright, bustling Brooklyn streets. This time, however, she sets her sights on songs—34 of them, to be exact. Photos of joyful, ethnically diverse children found in playgrounds, parks and cozy home settings infuse well-known tunes (and some forgotten favorites) with warmth and energy. Many scenes are quite literal: “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” shows youngsters playing baseball in the park. Others have a playful twist: “It’s Raining, It’s Pouring” has a boy gleefully jumping atop the “old man” in bed (i.e. Daddy), with an appropriately rain-splotched window in the background. “London Bridge” is in fact a bridge built with wooden blocks, and “Alouette” shows a boy racing towards pigeons—the urban equivalent of a lark if ever there was one. Crews also offers familiar digital effects: “Miss Mary Mack” has elephants high in the sky, while “I’m a Little Teapot” shows a rather large teapot with tiny children climbing on it. Sheet music is not included, but an author’s note points readers to other books and online resources for help with the tunes. A collection that begs to be sung in all neighborhoods—city stoops or country front-porch swings alike. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-185063-9
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: April 3, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
In the end, the most notable feature of the book may be that the setting is a sleep-away summer camp rather than a backyard
There’s s’more to camping with a dragon than meets the eye.
Lots of kids are scared at their first day of sleep-away camp, and dragons are no different. Taking pity on a quaking reptile, the human narrator offers to be his buddy. A dragon should be a fun companion, but when swimming, sailing, tug of war, archery, horseback riding, and even a puppet show go wrong, the two become the camp pariahs. The narrator even begins to rethink their choice of buddy. When Dragon’s attempts to remove a spider get a bit incendiary, it’s the final straw, and the narrator throws him out of the tent. Then Dragon disappears. All the campers go searching for him, becoming frightened by the growling of something big and scary in the forest. Then Dragon appears, and “the angry creature is gone.” The bulk of the book is a pedantic tale advocating patience with those who are different, while the climax is simply confusing: Was Dragon the “angry creature,” or did he scare one away, as the campers believe? Happily the bright and cheery illustrations compensate for the text. Though the dragon remains mute, the art renders him expressive and emotional. The narrator is a blond, pigtailed, bespectacled white child, while the other campers display some diversity.
In the end, the most notable feature of the book may be that the setting is a sleep-away summer camp rather than a backyard . (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4549-1993-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A cheery trifle.
A bright menagerie of pop-up animals on a small paper carousel.
When the attached ribbons are tied to hold the folded-back covers together, over 25 carousel mounts and riders are viewable—all presented in the same simple, vividly colored retro style, with many engineered so that they pop out a bit from the plain white backgrounds. Every face is smiling, a striped awning overhead adds further bright notes, and a pink-cheeked carousel master, the only human figure, gestures welcome at the beginning. Near him, an unpolished set of rhymes (the only text) supplies hints of sights to come: “The carousel is busy with a mama kangaroo, / Riding with an elephant, pigs, fish, and monkeys too.” There is a loop at the top, so even though there are no moving parts, the carousel can be held up and spun by hand if desired.
A cheery trifle. (Pop-up picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-3-89955-801-2
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Little Gestalten
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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