In a sort of Three Pigs lite, a Jack Russell terrier makes mincemeat out of four familiar folk tales as its ever-more-exasperated owner tries to tell them. So, a bucolic countryside scene reveals three goats grazing as the narration reads, “Once upon a time there were three Billy goats named Gruff.” With a turn of the page, a little dynamo of a dog emerges, barking furiously at the surprised goats while the narrator desperately tries to get him to mind: “Ivan! You naughty dog! You’re ruining the story!” Ivan does the same to “The Three Bears,” “The Three Little Pigs” and “The Gingerbread Boy,” before the narrator gives up and focuses all attention on him—only to be ignored in favor of a nap. Catalanotto uses both keen understanding of terrier behavior and design to deliver the humor, full-bleed spreads giving way to more and more white space as Ivan intrudes and drives both characters and stories away from the page. It’s something of a one-note joke, however successful, and serves more as a primer for the Wiesner masterpiece than a companion—but there’s nothing wrong with that. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2007
ISBN: 978-1-4169-1247-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Richard Jackson/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2007
Children who love dogs will find this amusing the first time through, but the humor palls quickly.
In rhyming text, a bug-eyed pug named Pig stubbornly refuses to share with the almost equally bug-eyed Trevor, the “wiener dog” he lives with—and soon gets his comeuppance.
The book begins showing the eponymous dog astride a large, red bowl of dog food, tongue hanging out and all four paws gripping the bowl. It perfectly matches the text: “Pig was a Pug / and I’m sorry to say, / he was greedy and selfish / in most every way.” A bit of humor comes through when the text plays on the adage about pigs by reminding readers that “pugs cannot fly.” However, most of the text is composed of trite, tired rhymes. The ending is a punch line whose funny picture will have little ones giggling. However, the ultimate “lesson” is a rather dark cynicism, more appropriate to children older than the age suggested by the rhymes, the art, and even the publisher. There may be some vicarious thrills for those who have witnessed excessive selfishness. The artwork is humorous, although Pig’s appearance is sometimes more grotesque than funny—particularly when he shouts at Trevor. Both male dogs’ facial expressions and body language add to the humor, and dog lovers will appreciate Pig’s array of colorful toys. Scansion is spotty, which should not happen in verses so dependent on rhythm and rhyme to entertain their young audience.
Children who love dogs will find this amusing the first time through, but the humor palls quickly. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Dec. 27, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-338-11245-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A bang-up banquet certain to draw demands for repeat courses and sturdy enough to survive them.
A hungry alligator chows down on 10 sets of unwary swamp denizens—with, eventually, predictable results.
The heavy-duty pull-tab in the back cover is going to get a real workout here, as it makes the cheery gator’s jaw (visible above the top of each page) snap loudly shut to a chorus of “chomp, chomp, chomp!” on one “shiny, blue” fish, followed by two “furry, brown” otters, three “fluffy, white” cranes, and so on up to 10 “shimmering, purple” hummingbirds. As the adjectival insertions hint, each brightly smiling new quarry in the colorful cartoon illustrations comes with not only a number to count, but a textured tactile patch to touch (each scene also features a few artfully placed die-cut holes). Likely deflecting at least most parental frets about implicit or explicit violence in the rhymed and patterned scenario, Van Fleet arranges his figures so there’s no actual eating to be seen. As it eats, the increasingly rotund crocodile sprouts rainbow stripes so it looks rather like a striped pool toy—and when it at the end chomps on one tiny fish too many, it proceeds to belch out all the unharmed victims in a mighty foldout explosion. “Excuse me!” Inconspicuous labels on most of the flora and fauna dish up further nibbles of natural history.
A bang-up banquet certain to draw demands for repeat courses and sturdy enough to survive them. (Pop-up board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5344-2677-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 29, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2018
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