Tummy troubles persist in this tepid follow-up to Mucumber McGee and the Half-Eaten Hot Dog (2007). When Mucumber arrives late to the school cafeteria for lunch he finds that all the food has been passed out, save a single item. Though the lunch lady informs him that this plate of liver cake is a delicious dish, our hero isn’t sold on the idea. His sister tries to convince him that he’s been handed spleen to eat, and the smell can only be described as akin to “rotten cheese.” Readers will probably be unsurprised to find that when Mucumber actually tries the liver it proves to be a tasty treat. The rhymes are barely passable (“The lunch lady was watching. / Mucumber felt her stare. / He saw her grab her cleaver / and wave it in the air”) and the pictures provide the usual dense, dark fare seen in so many other macabre picture books. Still, it is difficult to dislike too heartily a book praising the taste and nutritious benefits of a foodstuff as repulsive as liver. Adequate but forgettable. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-06-082330-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2008
BOOK REVIEW
A book that will make young dog-owners smile in recognition and confirm dogless readers' worst suspicions about the mayhem caused by pets, even winsome ones. Sam, who bears passing resemblance to an affable golden retriever, is praised for fetching the family newspaper, and goes on to fetch every other newspaper on the block. In the next story, only the children love Sam's swimming; he is yelled at by lifeguards and fishermen alike when he splashes through every watering hole he can find. Finally, there is woe to the entire family when Sam is bored and lonely for one long night. Boland has an essential message, captured in both both story and illustrations of this Easy-to-Read: Kids and dogs belong together, especially when it's a fun-loving canine like Sam. An appealing tale. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-8037-1530-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1996
Sloat collaborates with Huffman, a Yu’pik storyteller, to infuse a traditional “origins” tale with the joy of creating. Hearing the old women of her village grumble that they have only tasteless crowberries for the fall feast’s akutaq—described as “Eskimo ice cream,” though the recipe at the end includes mixing in shredded fish and lard—young Anana carefully fashions three dolls, then sings and dances them to life. Away they bound, to cover the hills with cranberries, blueberries, and salmonberries. Sloat dresses her smiling figures in mixes of furs and brightly patterned garb, and sends them tumbling exuberantly through grassy tundra scenes as wildlife large and small gathers to look on. Despite obtrusively inserted pronunciations for Yu’pik words in the text, young readers will be captivated by the action, and by Anana’s infectious delight. (Picture book/folktale. 6-8)
Pub Date: June 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-88240-575-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2004
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