A worthy-enough lesson in a passable package. An additional title at best.
All that glitters can turn a raccoon’s head, but how much is enough?
“In a forest with trees pointing up to the moon, / there lived and there sang an uncommon raccoon. / … / High in his perch at the top of a tree, / Rahoola sang simply to set a song free.” While Rahoola sings, other raccoons obsessively collect sparkly objects in the moonlight. Rahoola knows nothing of their obsession until bears set upon his cousin and Rahoola inherits a house full of shiny things. He forgets his song and fixates on collecting until the house overflows…and then he sees his “treasures” in the light of the sun. All those shiny objects were really just trash (tinfoil balls, tin cans and greasy takeout boxes). Lesson learned, Rahoola packs the junk off to the dump and resumes his nightly singing. Art teacher and indie comic-strip artist Anke’s moralistic fable is a bit forced in message and, at times, rhyme. “After a while, the shiny thing habit / became the raccoons’ ‘Stop-Look-and-Grab-It.’ ” There are logic gaps too: Rahoola’s realization occurs after seeing his loot in daylight, but earlier illustrations show well-lit raccoon-home interiors. Anke’s watercolors, a mix of spot and full-bleed, show skinny, expressive, often goofy raccoons; but the palette never strays very far from grays and tans.
A worthy-enough lesson in a passable package. An additional title at best. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-9857932-0-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Cupola Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2012
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle...
Making things is difficult work. Readers will recognize the stages of this young heroine’s experience as she struggles to realize her vision.
First comes anticipation. The artist/engineer is spotted jauntily pulling a wagonload of junkyard treasures. Accompanied by her trusty canine companion, she begins drawing plans and building an assemblage. The narration has a breezy tone: “[S]he makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!” The colorful caricatures and creations contrast with the digital black outlines on a white background that depict an urban neighborhood. Intermittent blue-gray panels break up the white expanses on selected pages showing sequential actions. When the first piece doesn’t turn out as desired, the protagonist tries again, hoping to achieve magnificence. A model of persistence, she tries many adjustments; the vocabulary alone offers constructive behaviors: she “tinkers,” “wrenches,” “fiddles,” “examines,” “stares” and “tweaks.” Such hard work, however, combines with disappointing results, eventually leading to frustration, anger and injury. Explosive emotions are followed by defeat, portrayed with a small font and scaled-down figures. When the dog, whose expressions have humorously mirrored his owner’s through each phase, retrieves his leash, the resulting stroll serves them well. A fresh perspective brings renewed enthusiasm and—spoiler alert—a most magnificent scooter sidecar for a loyal assistant.
Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle characterization for maximum delight. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-55453-704-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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