There will be a good deal of pro and con discussion about this story this fall wherever children's book trade people and librarians gather, very much the way there was about Stuart Little. After two readings we feel that most children are going to be charmed with its story about Peter who, for some inexplicable, glandular reason, started growing smaller from the time he was seven until now, at thirteen, he is only four inches tall! And only such a good fantasy writer as Lawson could write about his adventures so plausibly — for the plot is lifted almost directly, it seems, from the pages of the much despised comics. Peter's father is in the State Department in Washington and Peter's trip abroad to locate the deadly atomic granules of a mad scientist and save the world is handled as a broad and suspenseful farce. He travels on the back of a tough but kind- hearted and competent sea gull to whom he owes his life several times over, and the specially fitted cockpit and cabin in which he travels are lots of fun. The encounter with the mad scientist is thrilling and what happens when Peter gets rid of the deadly grains is well told. Kids will like it and it can be used as an antidote for the comics. And the author's pictures get better and better as the story progresses.
Pub Date: Sept. 8, 1949
ISBN: 0316517313
Page Count: 151
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1949
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
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