by Ragnhild Scamell & illustrated by Tim Warnes ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1996
A comically patchy book with poignant charm. Wolfie is upset because nobody likes him and sets out to win friends. His toothy smile reassures no one, but his singing brings about better results. He sings so loudly that he wakes up the hibernating bears and all the other animals in the snowy forest; by and by, along comes a beautiful white wolf, who likes his singing, and likes Wolfie, too. The illustrations have a humble, unassuming expressiveness, made even more attractive by a mostly wintry palette, warmed with orange. The awkward-looking wolf will earn much sympathy and there are moments to please onlookers, e.g., an awakened bear points to a clock that has the names of the months instead of numbers on it. For anyone unsure of being welcomed, Scamell (Buster's Echo, 1995, etc.) shows that clumsiness can be endearing and that a song need not be musical to be heartfelt. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-316-77243-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1996
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by Chris Van Dusen ; illustrated by Chris Van Dusen ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2019
An all-day sugar rush, putting the “fun” back into, er, education.
A young visionary describes his ideal school: “Perfectly planned and impeccably clean. / On a scale, 1 to 10, it’s more like 15!”
In keeping with the self-indulgently fanciful lines of If I Built a Car (2005) and If I Built a House (2012), young Jack outlines in Seussian rhyme a shiny, bright, futuristic facility in which students are swept to open-roofed classes in clear tubes, there are no tests but lots of field trips, and art, music, and science are afterthoughts next to the huge and awesome gym, playground, and lunchroom. A robot and lots of cute puppies (including one in a wheeled cart) greet students at the door, robotically made-to-order lunches range from “PB & jelly to squid, lightly seared,” and the library’s books are all animated popups rather than the “everyday regular” sorts. There are no guards to be seen in the spacious hallways—hardly any adults at all, come to that—and the sparse coed student body features light- and dark-skinned figures in roughly equal numbers, a few with Asian features, and one in a wheelchair. Aside from the lack of restrooms, it seems an idyllic environment—at least for dog-loving children who prefer sports and play over quieter pursuits.
An all-day sugar rush, putting the “fun” back into, er, education. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-525-55291-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
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by Kate DiCamillo ; illustrated by Chris Van Dusen
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by Kate DiCamillo ; illustrated by Chris Van Dusen
‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 21, 1992
A tall-tale introduction to the ``King of the Keelboatmen,'' from the time he ran away from home at the age of two days to his literally explosive confrontation with steamboat captain Hilton B. Blathersby. The historical Fink was a cruel man who came to a violent end, but Kellogg depicts him as a friendly-looking, fun-loving youth; indeed, nearly all of the keelboatmen here- -black, white, old, and young—are smiling, clean-cut types, rather at odds with their usual roughneck image. Though Fink spends much of his time wrestling men or bears, Kellogg's description of him seems bland in comparison to his glowing, energetic illustrations, and less heroic than his other legendary figures. (Picture book/Folktale. 6-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 21, 1992
ISBN: 0-688-07003-5
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1992
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