Peachy.
Pignatius the pig learns that clothes make the man—er, prince.
While strolling past the palace one day, Pignatius spots a tray of fresh buns cooling near an open door. He makes short, delicious work of them and, figuring that there might be more inside, enters the palace. In the kitchen, he downs a big jar of cream, scaring the cook in the process. Ascending the winding staircase, Pignatius enters a sumptuous bedroom decorated all in blue, pokes around in a “dressing-up chest,” and finds breaches, buckles, and a big orange wig, all of which he dons. The cook and a clutch of servants burst into the room with makeshift weapons—and immediately bow and apologize! Pignatius eats a luscious feast and inspects the new guard. Then his impish side takes over; he instructs them to hop like frogs and blows up the gardener’s prize pumpkin. Pignatius is enjoying a tub of sweets when in strides…the genuine prince, a dead ringer for the costumed pig. Bently’s rhymed reworking of the Mark Twain classic is appropriately silly; young readers should identify with Pignatius’ curiosity and mischief. Roberts’ elegant yet loopy illustrations—in watercolors, pen, and ink—are a big enhancement. A dark-skinned duchess, footman, and some guards lend diversity to the otherwise white cast, all of whom are fitted out in an agreeable mishmash of ornate frills and furbelows.
Peachy. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2312-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2016
The King hijacks a book...the very book in the reader's hands. The paint is barely dry on the words "Once upon a time" when the King charges into the middle of the page, swirling his bright-orange cape and ordering the story to stop. Calling for his story writer, he sets about finding a new tale, which the writer posits is at Beanstalk Crossing. Even as the reader follows this journey, pages are also filled with tentative plotlines and sketches of illustrations and even the King ordering the reader to "GO AWAY!" The writer's notes indicate a wolf and a beanstalk and a little girl in red. But the story really comes together when the writer finds the pages about the pea. (The next two-page spread shows the pea flying through the air like a comet to meet the King.) In the nick of time, the tale is assembled, with proper storybook type and inset pictures. Lewis's playful premise has promise and some delicious moments but, in hitting the same comic notes over and over, fails to take flight. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-58925-094-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: July 29, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2010
No classroom clichés here. Rather, creativity and inspired teaching in full bloom.
Daydreams on the first day of school lead to a happy ending thanks to a refreshingly responsive teacher.
Suppressing anxiety, Martin’s mind goes a mile a minute, associations flowing freely. The teacher’s pink cheeks make him think of Mum Mum, a thought that leads the young boy to recall her beloved smile—“as wide as the river.” Water is fertile territory for a range of precisely described images and emotions, communicated with aurally pleasing words subtly constructed as free verse. Recalling the time his mother had borrowed his language about lightning for her own poem, he ponders her explanation that poetry helps “you put things into words that are painful or / wonderful or that you just don’t understand. / …they’re like kisses, tiny little / nothings that mean so much!” When the teacher interrupts his reverie by asking if he’s on the moon and whom he’s blowing kisses to, a pebble from the river gives him the courage to share his thoughts. The teachable moment involves the class drawing kisses (x’s) on the board along with the first letter of their names, the first step towards friendship. Large, round heads, recurring moons and a parting circular view underscore Martin’s marvelous interior world, as do the cheerfully surreal scenes of raining flowers and a smiling sky.
No classroom clichés here. Rather, creativity and inspired teaching in full bloom. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-92697-316-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2012
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