by Polly Berrien Berends & illustrated by Brad Sneed ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1995
A bird zips into the barnyard, a feathered Paul Revere, with a late-breaking flash: A ``NEW ONE'' is coming. But among all the barnyard inhabitants, just who is expecting? A small boy solves the problema human baby has arrived, whom he proudly shows off through a window. Berends (The Case of the Elevator Duck, 1989, not reviewed, etc.) provides a spare text that is playful and rhyming: `` `My word!' said the bird. `And how!' said the cow. `Of course,' said the horse.'' Sneed's watercolors are terrific. In these, he captures distinctive animal gesturesthe way a cow might turn its head or a bird apply the breaks. The perspective is often from ground level, endowing the farm creatures with an enormous, amiable presence. Each animal possesses a distinct personality, sometimes aided by an idiosyncratic characteristic: the put-upon air of the bird, the scrawny neck of the hare, the long sculptured snout of the mare. When the boy communes directly and naturally with the animals, it's simply another low-keyed, artful touch, not at all out of the ordinary. Pleasingly subtle, cheerful, and big-hearted. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-8037-1223-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1995
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by Julia Donaldson illustrated by Axel Scheffler ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 1999
The action of this rhymed and humorous tale centers upon a mouse who "took a stroll/through the deep dark wood./A fox saw the mouse/and the mouse looked good." The mouse escapes being eaten by telling the fox that he is on his way to meet his friend the gruffalo (a monster of his imagination), whose favorite food is roasted fox. The fox beats a hasty retreat. Similar escapes are in store for an owl and a snake; both hightail it when they learn the particulars: tusks, claws, terrible jaws, eyes orange, tongue black, purple prickles on its back. When the gruffalo suddenly materializes out of the mouse's head and into the forest, the mouse has to think quick, declaring himself inedible as the "scariest creature in the deep dark wood," and inviting the gruffalo to follow him to witness the effect he has on the other creatures. When the gruffalo hears that the mouse's favorite food is gruffalo crumble, he runs away. It's a fairly innocuous tale, with twists that aren't sharp enough and treachery that has no punch. Scheffler's funny scenes prevent the suspense from culminating; all his creatures, predator and prey, are downright lovable. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: June 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8037-2386-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1999
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SEEN & HEARD
by Kimiko Kajikawa & illustrated by Ed Young ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 1, 2009
Through quick thinking and personal sacrifice, a wise old Japanese farmer saves the people of his village from a devastating tsunami in this simple yet striking story based on Lafcadio Hearn’s “A Living God.” Ojiisan lives in a cottage on a mountain overlooking the village and sea. One day, villagers gather to celebrate the rice harvest, but Ojiisan stays home thinking “something does not feel right.” When the earth quakes and the sea darkens and runs away from the land, Ojiisan realizes a tsunami approaches. Fearing the oblivious villagers will be swept away, Ojiisan torches his rice fields to attract attention, and they respond, barely escaping the monster wave. Rendered in gouache, pastel and collage, Young’s illustrations cleverly combine natural textures, bold colors and abstract shapes to convey compelling images of chaos and disaster as the rice fields burn and the wave rushes in. In one literally breathtaking double-page spread, an enormous wall of water engulfs the teeny seacoast village. A visually powerful and dramatic tribute to one man’s willingness to sacrifice everything for others. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-399-25006-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2008
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