A welcome addition to any folk-tale collection, this clever retelling and its warm, embracing illustrations demonstrate the...
A 21st-century update to Aesop’s enduring fable finds cousins City Mouse and Country Mouse spending time in each other’s locale to realize that they both prefer life at home.
Flowing acrylic-based gouache illustrations give this retelling a modern twist. Alternating between Mousetropolis and the countryside, the tale opens with City Mouse, who is annoyed with the incessant loud noise of the city. Receiving a letter from his cousin Country Mouse, City Mouse seizes upon the rural vacation opportunity. Although he lets loose at the farmhouse jamboree, City Mouse finds it hard to adjust to the eerily “quiet” surroundings. The food is different, the natural sounds and silences are creepy, and City Mouse can’t shake the feeling of being watched. They agree to a new plan. Country Mouse and City Mouse jump a train to the city. There’s dancing in the subways, ample food, and phalanxes of device-attached mice doing “important things”—and back home goes Country Mouse. Christie utilizes appealingly mouse-based language—“quicker than a mouse can nibble through a wheel of provolone”—to tell his story, and he carefully acknowledges the dangers of country life as well as those of the city. The illustrations effectively depict the dislocated mice’s subjective impressions of each setting; the tilt of an eyebrow communicates emotion.
A welcome addition to any folk-tale collection, this clever retelling and its warm, embracing illustrations demonstrate the enduring appeal of this classic tale. (Picture book/folk tale. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-8234-2319-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: June 5, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2015
Whether in hand or on shelf, this one’s sure to make a splash anywhere and everywhere.
A frog tries to do everything a goat does, too.
Goat asks Frog to look at them before declaring “I’m ON it!” while balancing atop a tree stump near a pond. After an “Oooh!” and a “You know what?” Frog leaps off their lily pad to balance on a rock: “I’m on it, too!” Goat grabs a prop so that they can be both “on it AND beside it.” (It may take young readers a little bit to realize there are two its.) So does Frog. The competition continues as Frog struggles to mimic overconfident Goat’s antics. In addition to on and beside, the pair adds inside, between, under, and more. Eventually, it all gets to be too much for Frog to handle, so Frog falls into the water, resumes position on the lily pad, and declares “I am OVER it” while eating a fly. In an act of solidarity, Goat jumps in, too. In Tsurumi’s first foray into early readers she pares down her energetic, colorful cartoon style to the bare essentials without losing any of the madcap fun. Using fewer than 80 repeated words (over 12 of which are prepositions), the clever text instructs, delights, and revels in its own playfulness. Color-coded speech bubbles (orange for Goat, green for Frog) help match the dialogue with each speaker. Like others in the Elephant & Piggie Like Reading series, Elephant and Piggie metafictively bookend the main narrative with hilariously on-the-nose commentary.
Whether in hand or on shelf, this one’s sure to make a splash anywhere and everywhere. (Early reader. 4-8)Pub Date: May 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-368-06696-9
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
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The spirit of Valentine’s Day shines bright in this caring community.
Gobble, gobble! Grab this farmyard story full of Valentine’s Day puns.
The animals on Farmer Jake’s farm are exchanging valentines. Delighted by a card from a secret admirer (“You are like no otter!”), Turkey decides to make clever valentines and surreptitiously deliver them to the other animals. Luckily, he has some punny inspiration for perfect Valentine’s Day messages. “You’re purr-fect.” “You’re dog-gone delightful.” “You’re toad-ally awesome!” As Turkey dons a different disguise for each delivery, the story offers a refrain that young listeners will soon chant. “His costume wasn’t bad. In fact, Turkey looked just like a cat…almost.” (The refrain changes slightly with each disguise.) Unfortunately, the other animals always recognize Turkey and greet him with a pun. But the animals also compliment his valentine and help to create a pun for his next one. Sadly, the animals always know who the valentines are from, so Turkey decides to “gobble, gobble, give up!” Returning home to read his own valentines, Turkey has an idea, and he quickly creates a festive and delicious surprise for the Valentine’s dance. Readers will have to decide if Turkey has finally managed to surprise the other animals. Boldfaced puns within the story are easy to spot, and Turkey’s cards also feature puns along with adorable illustrations. Detailed watercolor and pencil illustrations bring to life a farm filled with loving friends and highlight Turkey’s clever and ever changing costumes. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
The spirit of Valentine’s Day shines bright in this caring community. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Dec. 13, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-2366-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Two Lions
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2022
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BOOK REVIEW
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