Brisk and bright, yet subtle in its message.
What can little creatures do to protect themselves from the forest bully?
The scary Snorklum, who has long tan fur and striped purple horns, is so worried about getting to his cave before dark that his crinkly whiskers begin to wibble. He sees Mole standing near a tree and picks him up with thoughts of having a Mole sandwich. Mole’s response to Snorklum’s scary roar is, “Why are your whiskers wibbling…?” Frustrated, Snorklum sticks Mole in his pocket, figuring he’ll eat him later. Down the road, he spies Rabbit and decides that a Rabbit pie would taste better than a Mole sandwich. He tries to scare Rabbit, but the same thing happens; Snorklum stuffs Rabbit into his shoulder bag and continues on his way. Next he encounters Badger (perfect for Badger stew), but he just can’t scare him either. Snorklum does stare the leaves off the trees and make the birds scatter, but the animals just stare at him; they know a secret: “If a scary Snorklum stays out after dark...” With a POOOFFT, the scary Snorklum, with a strangled cry, shrinks to the size of an insect. And no one, not even the birds, is afraid. Chapman’s Snorklum, cousin, perhaps, to Bert Lahr’s Cowardly Lion, is appropriately goofy, and her backgrounds go through many colors, from gold of late afternoon to dark-blue night.
Brisk and bright, yet subtle in its message. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-56148-728-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Good Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A valuable asset to the library of a child who experiences anxiety and a great book to get children talking about their...
Ruby is an adventurous and happy child until the day she discovers a Worry.
Ruby barely sees the Worry—depicted as a blob of yellow with a frowny unibrow—at first, but as it hovers, the more she notices it and the larger it grows. The longer Ruby is affected by this Worry, the fewer colors appear on the page. Though she tries not to pay attention to the Worry, which no one else can see, ignoring it prevents her from enjoying the things that she once loved. Her constant anxiety about the Worry causes the bright yellow blob to crowd Ruby’s everyday life, which by this point is nearly all washes of gray and white. But at the playground, Ruby sees a boy sitting on a bench with a growing sky-blue Worry of his own. When she invites the boy to talk, his Worry begins to shrink—and when Ruby talks about her own Worry, it also grows smaller. By the book’s conclusion, Ruby learns to control her Worry by talking about what worries her, a priceless lesson for any child—or adult—conveyed in a beautifully child-friendly manner. Ruby presents black, with hair in cornrows and two big afro-puff pigtails, while the boy has pale skin and spiky black hair.
A valuable asset to the library of a child who experiences anxiety and a great book to get children talking about their feelings (. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0237-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
Librarians, caregivers, and children will delight in the message: family reading time is family fun.
A story about the joy of sharing stories.
Moose is a storyteller. Each evening, with his family seated comfortably around a roaring fireplace in a cozy home, he regales them with a tale. But one evening he runs out of stories and must go around to his neighbors to borrow one. None of the critters—Bear, Badger, Hare, or Mole—has one, so Moose drives into town to visit the library the next day. There, the very helpful librarian, a goose wearing eyeglasses, fills his arms with classic fairy tales. Moose’s read-aloud skills are so great that his little house is soon overflowing with animal families. This dilemma leads to Moose refurbishing a bus as a bookmobile, which leads to reading lessons for the neighborhood, which leads to high circulation figures for the library and many family storytimes. But Moose is such a good teller the animals still enjoy returning to his home for more. Pencil, pastel, and watercolor illustrations fill the pages with verdant landscapes, old-time–y vehicles, and quaint English country homes. There are many inviting scenes of animal families reading together while snuggled up in comfy furniture. All of the animals go unclothed, walk upright, and have very friendly faces.
Librarians, caregivers, and children will delight in the message: family reading time is family fun. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1767-4
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2021
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