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JACK AND JILL’S TREEHOUSE

Name: JACK AND JILL’S TREEHOUSE
Author: Pamela Duncan Edwards
ISBN: 978-0-06-009077-7

by Pamela Duncan Edwards & illustrated by Henry Cole ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2008

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The Jack and Jill of Edwards’s cumulative tale fetch not a pail of water but lumber; they are building a tree house. Then they fetch a whole lot more: an old quilt for a roof, a flashlight for nighttime illumination, a box for a table and treats to eat, all of which attracts friends for a visit and birds to serenade them to sleep. Each new item heralds a new line: “These are the treats / that were piled high on the table / that sat under the light / that hung from the roof / that was raised over the floor . . . ” Minus any lyricism (yet with a new, compacted spelling of “treehouse”), the text precludes a read-aloud with much swing, though it does possess a chugging, chanting dignity. Cole’s artwork, however, should keep readers’ eyes dancing, from the scene-setting, page-and-a-half, pastel-fresh spreads, with their diverting incidental activities, to the natty, pen-and-ink rebus-like images that follow upon each cumulative line. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: May 1, 2008

ISBN: 978-0-06-009077-7

Page Count: 24

Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2008

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
FOUR SEASONS OF FUN
by Pamela Duncan Edwards ; illustrated by Sylvie Daigneault

- BOOK REVIEW
THE PRINCESS PIGTORIA AND THE PEA
by Pamela Duncan Edwards and illustrated by Henry Cole

- BOOK REVIEW
WHILE THE WORLD IS SLEEPING
by Pamela Duncan Edwards and illustrated by Daniel Kirk

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WHERE ARE YOUR SHOES, MR. BROWN?

by Justin Rhodes ; illustrated by Heather Dickinson ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 14, 2023

Pedestrian.

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Mr. Brown can’t help with farm chores because his shoes are missing—a common occurrence in his household and likely in many readers’ as well.

Children will be delighted that the titular Mr. Brown is in fact a child. After Mr. Brown looks in his closet and sorts through his other family members’ shoes with no luck, his father and his siblings help him search the farm. Eventually—after colorful pages that enable readers to spot footwear hiding—the family gives up on their hunt, and Mr. Brown asks to be carried around for the chores. He rides on his father’s shoulders as Papa gets his work done, as seen on a double-page spread of vignettes. The resolution is more of a lesson for the adult readers than for children, a saccharine moment where father and son express their joy that the missing shoes gave them the opportunity for togetherness—with advice for other parents to appreciate those fleeting moments themselves. Though the art is bright and cheerful, taking advantage of the setting, it occasionally is misaligned with the text (for example, the text states that Mr. Brown is wearing his favorite green shirt while the illustration is of a shirt with wide stripes of white and teal blue, which could confuse readers at the point where they’re trying to figure out which family member is Mr. Brown). The family is light-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Pedestrian. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: March 14, 2023

ISBN: 978-1-5460-0389-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: WorthyKids/Ideals

Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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THE BEST CHEF IN SECOND GRADE

by Katharine Kenah & illustrated by Abby Carter ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 1, 2007

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An impending school visit by a celebrity chef sends budding cook Ollie into a tailspin. He and his classmates are supposed to bring a favorite family food for show and tell, but his family doesn’t have a clear choice—besides, his little sister Rosy doesn’t like much of anything. What to do? As in their previous two visits to Room 75, Kenah builds suspense while keeping the tone light, and Carter adds both bright notes of color and familiar home and school settings in her cartoon illustrations. Eventually, Ollie winkles favorite ingredients out of his clan, which he combines into a mac-and-cheese casserole with a face on top that draws delighted praise from the class’s renowned guest. As Ollie seems to do his kitchen work without parental assistance, a cautionary tip or two (and maybe a recipe) might not have gone amiss here, but the episode’s mouthwatering climax and resolution will guarantee smiles of contentment all around. (Easy reader. 6-7)