Quibbles aside, a gratifying and satisfying animal tale.
A bear’s tranquility and rest are rudely interrupted by a buzzing, whirring bug eager to make the bear’s warm fur his new place of lodging.
Bug’s incessant swirling about and landing on Bear is exasperating, leaving Bear to growl, “My fur’s not your home. Now PLEASE go away!” But the stripy red insect is all too content to settle in on Bear, even though his home seems “a TEENSY bit grumpy.” Bear’s desperate cry, “Won’t SOMEBODY help me?” brings clever old Owl with a plan, and relief is finally suggested for the agitated bear. Bothersome Bug is encouraged to nestle in with Sloth, who welcomes the idea. “ ‘I’d be MOST grateful,’ said Sloth with a grin, / ‘To have a small bug make his home on my skin. / I don’t move around much because I’m so slow. / But now I’ll have a friend wherever I go!’ ” Bug’s energetic dancing spin is highlighted with a tangle of dashes around Bear’s frustrated poses. Bold, large animal caricatures in vibrant colors, often on double-page spreads, balance well with the fluent rhyming text making it suitably easy for multiple readings. It’s too bad there’s no author’s note to provide a basic explanation of why a sloth’s fur is a perfect host for bugs, and the flora and fauna are more consistent of a northern woodland than a sloth’s typical rain- or cloud-forest habitat.
Quibbles aside, a gratifying and satisfying animal tale. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-6801-0053-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Dec. 20, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2017
Enjoyable holiday fare for the littlest trick-or-treaters.
Does the box of Halloween costumes contain enough to clothe a passel of bears?
There’s a lot inside that carton: “hats, capes, and bats,” for example, and much more besides. And here come the four excited little bears, eager to comb through the contents to find the right trick-or-treat get-ups. At first, they find just what they want. Then, they simultaneously shout and pull at one another’s pickings as well, each desperately needing what another one has. The hubbub causes poor little Floppy to fall on her rear, so she tells Big Brown Bear she’ll wait until the others are done. Unfortunately, by the time everyone else has grabbed their stash, there’s nothing left in the box but a crumpled-up sash. Contrite, all the other bears willingly share their largesse with Floppy, turning her into the “holiday queen.” She leads the parade outdoors, all the bears dressed in their Halloween finest. This latest in Parenteau and Walker’s Bears on Chairs series is a sweet, brief rhyming tale for very young children that emphasizes kindness and sharing—a fine message for Halloween or any time. The lilting verses move smoothly and rhythmically and express a familiar scenario. The colorful, expressive illustrations are endearing; minimal text and lots of white space per page focus attention on the characters and goings-on.
Enjoyable holiday fare for the littlest trick-or-treaters. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: July 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0837-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
For patient listeners, a fun visit to a mixed-up barnyard.
When a fierce wind descends on the barnyard, the animals hear some odd noises…and they’re coming from their own mouths.
The sudden wind unsettles all the animals on the farm just when they should be getting ready for sleep. Instead, they anxiously “cheep” and “cluck” and “oink” and “quack” and “moooo.” They shift nervously, pull together, and make all sorts of noises. All except Turtle, who tucks into his shell under an old log and sleeps. In the morning, though, the animals get a surprise. Pig says, “Cluck”; the Little Chicks say, “Neigh”; Horse crows, “Cock-a-doodle-doo.” How will they get their proper sounds back? Turtle has an idea, and he enjoys the process so much that he decides to open his mouth the next time the wind plays tricks at the farm: Perhaps he’ll catch a sound all his own. Chua’s cartoon barnyard is bright, and her animals, expressive, their faces and body language slightly anthropomorphized. The edges of the figures sometimes betray their digital origins. Though the tale is humorous and will give lots of opportunity for practicing animal sounds, the audience is hard to pin down, as the young children sure to enjoy mooing and clucking may not have the patience to sit through the somewhat lengthy text.
For patient listeners, a fun visit to a mixed-up barnyard. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: March 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-8075-8735-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2019
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