by Rachel Halpern ; illustrated by Wendy Tan Shiau Wei ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 6, 2021
Etiquette that falls short.
A dinosaur longs for a friend with good manners.
Nigel, a prim turquoise theropod with a dapper bow tie, is very strict about etiquette. He’s read all of the best primers on the subject (including Elbows Off the Table and Other Rules of Carnivorous Courtesy), but he just can’t seem to find a tea-party guest who will meet his high standards. Alas, a dragon sneezed directly onto the table (and set it on fire), and a llama thought the teacups were toys and balanced them on his head. But finally, a unicorn is coming to tea. Nigel is convinced that the “unicorn’s manners will be sublime.” Periwinkle, a bright yellow unicorn with a magenta mane, swoops to the table. Unfortunately, she shines her horn with the napkin and dunks a cookie directly in the teapot! Poor Nigel is the picture of dejection. But Periwinkle explains that she learned from her great-grandmother that it is polite to eat dessert first and to spear cookies with forks. It appears the message Halpern is reaching for is that table manners are arbitrary and differ from culture to culture (or, in this case, species to species). But instead of choosing an inclusive conclusion, the text lands hard on “Maybe bad manners aren’t so bad after all,” accompanied by a picture of Nigel, Periwinkle, and his erstwhile guests displaying comically bad manners. Manners-abiding hopefuls may cringe.
Etiquette that falls short. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 6, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5037-5711-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sunbird Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
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by Adam Rubin & illustrated by Daniel Salmieri ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 14, 2012
A wandering effort, happy but pointless.
Awards & Accolades
Likes
12
New York Times Bestseller
IndieBound Bestseller
The perfect book for kids who love dragons and mild tacos.
Rubin’s story starts with an incantatory edge: “Hey, kid! Did you know that dragons love tacos? They love beef tacos and chicken tacos. They love really big gigantic tacos and tiny little baby tacos as well.” The playing field is set: dragons, tacos. As a pairing, they are fairly silly, and when the kicker comes in—that dragons hate spicy salsa, which ignites their inner fireworks—the silliness is sillier still. Second nature, after all, is for dragons to blow flames out their noses. So when the kid throws a taco party for the dragons, it seems a weak device that the clearly labeled “totally mild” salsa comes with spicy jalapenos in the fine print, prompting the dragons to burn down the house, resulting in a barn-raising at which more tacos are served. Harmless, but if there is a parable hidden in the dragon-taco tale, it is hidden in the unlit deep, and as a measure of lunacy, bridled or unbridled, it doesn’t make the leap into the outer reaches of imagination. Salmieri’s artwork is fitting, with a crabbed, ethereal line work reminiscent of Peter Sís, but the story does not offer it enough range.
A wandering effort, happy but pointless. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 14, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3680-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
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by Pip Jones ; illustrated by Sara Ogilvie ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2020
A disappointing follow-up.
Inventor Izzy Gizmo is back in this sequel to her eponymous debut (2017).
While busily inventing one day, Izzy receives an invitation from the Genius Guild to their annual convention. Though Izzy’s “inventions…don’t always work,” Grandpa (apparently her sole caregiver) encourages her to go. The next day they undertake a long journey “over fields, hills, and waves” and “mile after mile” to isolated Technoff Isle. There, Izzy finds she must compete against four other kids to create the most impressive machine. The colorful, detail-rich illustrations chronicle how poor Izzy is thwarted at every turn by Abi von Lavish, a Veruca Salt–esque character who takes all the supplies for herself. But when Abi abandons her project, Izzy salvages the pieces and decides to take Grandpa’s advice to create a machine that “can really be put to good use.” A frustrated Izzy’s impatience with a friend almost foils her chance at the prize, but all’s well that ends well. There’s much to like: Brown-skinned inventor girl Izzy is an appealing character, it’s great to see a nurturing brown-skinned male caregiver, the idea of an “Invention Convention” is fun, and a sustainable-energy invention is laudable. However, these elements don’t make up for rhymes that often feel forced and a lackluster story.
A disappointing follow-up. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68263-164-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
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