Children will smile more than once while reading this quirky tale—even if its protagonist probably wouldn’t.
You can be happy, even if your face doesn’t show it.
As a newborn, Ernest enjoys his parents’ smiles, and he realizes he has a nice family. As he gets older, he discovers many more smilers among relatives and neighbors. He wishes he could also meet some elephants, but, as he notes, “You can’t have everything.” The smilers want him to smile, too, but contorting his face like that isn’t Ernest’s thing. He tries it once, but after that—nah. He does other things his parents like: He learns to walk, talk, and eat neatly; he can even put on his snowsuit by himself. Yet they still expect grins. They take him on outings to stimulate smiles, but nothing works. Ernest’s parents finally capitulate and get him his longed-for elephant, named Marcia, whom he brings to kindergarten for show and tell. Walking home afterward, Ernest tells his parents that he is a happy child, just not a smiley one—which makes them happy. This is an offbeat story, but it’s not just about smiling per se. Rather, it sends reassuring messages: It’s OK to be who you are, and others should accept you for being yourself. The gouache-and-watercolor illustrations are lively and comical and will elicit chuckles. Ernest and his family are light-skinned; background characters are diverse.
Children will smile more than once while reading this quirky tale—even if its protagonist probably wouldn’t. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9780823449873
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Margaret Ferguson/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2024
The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted...
Reinvention is the name of the game for two blobs of clay.
A blue-eyed gray blob and a brown-eyed brown blob sit side by side, unsure as to what’s going to happen next. The gray anticipates an adventure, while the brown appears apprehensive. A pair of hands descends, and soon, amid a flurry of squishing and prodding and poking and sculpting, a handsome gray wolf and a stately brown owl emerge. The hands disappear, leaving the friends to their own devices. The owl is pleased, but the wolf convinces it that the best is yet to come. An ear pulled here and an extra eye placed there, and before you can shake a carving stick, a spurt of frenetic self-exploration—expressed as a tangled black scribble—reveals a succession of smug hybrid beasts. After all, the opportunity to become a “pig-e-phant” doesn’t come around every day. But the sound of approaching footsteps panics the pair of Picassos. How are they going to “fix [them]selves” on time? Soon a hippopotamus and peacock are staring bug-eyed at a returning pair of astonished hands. The creative naiveté of the “clay mates” is perfectly captured by Petty’s feisty, spot-on dialogue: “This was your idea…and it was a BAD one.” Eldridge’s endearing sculpted images are photographed against the stark white background of an artist’s work table to great effect.
The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted fun of their own . (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 20, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-316-30311-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
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BOOK REVIEW
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader!
Fun with friends makes for a great day.
Norbit, a salmon-colored worm with a pink kerchief, joyfully greets the day and everyone he encounters. “Hello, friends! It’s time for fun with the sun! Let’s play!” He and his menagerie of forest pals—including the sun, who grows limbs and descends from the sky—exuberantly engage in various forms of physical activity such as jumping, going down a slide, spinning around, and watching the clouds go by. Young readers will readily relate, as these are games that most children are familiar with. As day turns to night, Norbit says farewell to Sun and welcomes Moon with an invitation to continue the fun. Watkins has created a vivid world of movement and merriment. Her illustrations feature bright bursts of color that match the energy of the text, with most sentences ending in an exclamation point. The author/illustrator incorporates many elements that make for an ideal early-reading experience (despite the use of a contraction or two): art free from clutter, text consisting of words with only one or two syllables, and repetition and recurring bits, such as a continued game of hide-and-seek with Sun. Inspired by never-before-seen sketches from the Dr. Seuss Collection archives at the University of California San Diego, this is the first title for Seuss Studios, a new imprint for original stories from “emerging authors and illustrators” who “honor Seuss’s hallmark spirit of creativity and imagination.”
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader! (author's note) (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780593646212
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Seuss Studios
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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