This apologium may not change minds about flies, but it’s definitely buzz-worthy.
What’s it like to be a fly? Well, it ain’t easy.
“Two googly eyes, six hairy legs, two transparent wings….It’s ME! The housefly. But people don’t like me being in the house.” Poor fly. The fly stands on the ceiling looking down at a boy holding a fly swatter…and it’s only breakfast time. The Musca domestica exercises to stay fit (156 times around the light fixture) before the swish of the fly swatter sends the chatty pest outside. A visit to the cows for their lovely scent is in order, but the irritable flap of a tail ends that. The fly recollects nearly being eaten by a frog and a bird in the same day: “Why?” Back to the house for some lunch; “FLAP!” goes the fly swatter (the page is cut to the shape of the evil tool—a nice touch); the chase begins again. A brief respite on the boy’s forehead summons another “FLAP!” and another shaped page whacks the boy in the face. Poor fly. “I mean no harm to anyone. So, if you see me, please be kind. HEY, don’t close the book…HELP…HELP…Do you want to squash me?” Horácek’s fly’s-eye view of a misunderstood insect’s life will be a nifty read at storytime or one-on-one, particularly with a little practice to correctly time the two die-cut fly swatter pages. The attractive mixed-media illustrations are inviting.
This apologium may not change minds about flies, but it’s definitely buzz-worthy. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 12, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7480-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2015
Parent-child love and affection, appealingly presented, with the added attraction of the seasonal content and lack of gender...
A polar-bear parent speaks poetically of love for a child.
A genderless adult and cub travel through the landscapes of an arctic year. Each of the softly rendered double-page paintings has a very different feel and color palette as the pair go through the seasons, walking through wintry ice and snow and green summer meadows, cavorting in the blue ocean, watching whales, and playing beside musk oxen. The rhymes of the four-line stanzas are not forced, as is the case too often in picture books of this type: “When cold, winter winds / blow the leaves far and wide, / You’ll cross the great icebergs / with me by your side.” On a dark, snowy night, the loving parent says: “But for now, cuddle close / while the stars softly shine. // I’ll always be yours, / and you’ll always be mine.” As the last illustration shows the pair curled up for sleep, young listeners will be lulled to sweet dreams by the calm tenor of the pictures and the words. While far from original, this timeless theme is always in demand, and the combination of delightful illustrations and poetry that scans well make this a good choice for early-childhood classrooms, public libraries, and one-on-one home read-alouds.
Parent-child love and affection, appealingly presented, with the added attraction of the seasonal content and lack of gender restrictions. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-68010-070-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
Willems’ formula is still a winner.
The pigeon is back, and he is filthy!
Readers haven’t seen the pigeon for a couple of years, not since The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? (2012), and apparently he hasn’t bathed in all that time. Per the usual routine, the bus driver (clad in shower cap and bathrobe) opens the story by asking readers to help convince the pigeon to take a bath. Though he’s covered in grime, the obstreperous bird predictably resists. He glares at readers and suggests that maybe they need baths. With the turn of the page, Willems anticipates readers’ energetic denials: The pigeon demands, “YEAH! When was the last time YOU had a bath?!” Another beat allows children to supply the answer. “Oh.” A trio of flies that find him repulsive (“P.U.!”) convinces him it’s time. One spread with 29 separate panels depicts the pigeon adjusting the bath (“Too wet!…Too cold.…Too reflective”) before the page turn reveals him jumping in with a spread-filling “SPLASH!” Readers accustomed to the pigeon formula will note that here the story breaks from its normal rhythms; instead of throwing a tantrum, the pigeon discovers what readers already know: “This is FUN!” All the elements are in place, including page backgrounds that modulate from dirty browns to fresh, clean colors and endpapers that bookend the story (including a very funny turnabout for the duckling, here a rubber bath toy).
Willems’ formula is still a winner. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4231-9087-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2014
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