Whether they are landlubbers or seasoned sailors, readers will be pleased to meet this tenacious kitty and even happier to...
Delicious language and a winsome feline ensure that this new iteration of an oft-told plot will find an appreciative audience.
A terribly thin, wide-eyed orange-and-white cat has clearly fallen on hard times, though he remembers having a home. Root’s evocative description of his condition (“He was lonely. He was little. He was lost”) will tug on listeners’ heart strings. They’ll sympathize when strangers yell at him to “Get out of here!” and worry when a big dog chases him down the street of a seaside town. Luckily, a sudden storm startles the dog and sends him scurrying away. The same storm unexpectedly liberates the dinghy in which the cat has hastily hidden and sets him on the watery path to a new home. Friend’s gouache paintings, including vignettes, single pages and double page spreads, illuminate the straightforward action, starting in an old-fashioned New England port and ending up on a lovely tree-covered island. She captures the fluctuating reactions of the cat perfectly, keeping the focus on the emotional heart of the tale even when the scenery seems likely to swallow him up.
Whether they are landlubbers or seasoned sailors, readers will be pleased to meet this tenacious kitty and even happier to know he’s found cozy comfort in a home with a caring companion. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7636-4164-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2011
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
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Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle...
Making things is difficult work. Readers will recognize the stages of this young heroine’s experience as she struggles to realize her vision.
First comes anticipation. The artist/engineer is spotted jauntily pulling a wagonload of junkyard treasures. Accompanied by her trusty canine companion, she begins drawing plans and building an assemblage. The narration has a breezy tone: “[S]he makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!” The colorful caricatures and creations contrast with the digital black outlines on a white background that depict an urban neighborhood. Intermittent blue-gray panels break up the white expanses on selected pages showing sequential actions. When the first piece doesn’t turn out as desired, the protagonist tries again, hoping to achieve magnificence. A model of persistence, she tries many adjustments; the vocabulary alone offers constructive behaviors: she “tinkers,” “wrenches,” “fiddles,” “examines,” “stares” and “tweaks.” Such hard work, however, combines with disappointing results, eventually leading to frustration, anger and injury. Explosive emotions are followed by defeat, portrayed with a small font and scaled-down figures. When the dog, whose expressions have humorously mirrored his owner’s through each phase, retrieves his leash, the resulting stroll serves them well. A fresh perspective brings renewed enthusiasm and—spoiler alert—a most magnificent scooter sidecar for a loyal assistant.
Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle characterization for maximum delight. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-55453-704-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2014
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