Fun for kids who know the cathedral (and for patrons of its gift shop); skippable for everybody else
Three peacocks who live at New York’s Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine try to expand their diets.
Tired of sunflower seeds (oddly, depicted as bullet-shaped heaps of golden granules), Phil, Jim, and Harry venture into the neighborhood for some variety only to be turned away everywhere with the titular exclamation. Tempted by “a whiff of something yummy,” they follow their noses to a nearby school, where children are enjoying “ooey, gooey, creamy and delicious mac ’n cheese.” Fascinated to the point of obsession, Phil, Jim, and Harry try daily to sneak into the school. Finally, a kid with “a connection” supplies them with the coveted foodstuff—and, anticlimactically, they don’t like it. Based on three actual peacocks at the cathedral who roam the neighborhood and eat anything, the plot stretches out its build past the breaking point, so the final punchline lands only glancingly. Ewald’s slick, animation-inspired digital illustrations have a glossy, off-putting look that fails to supply the visual verve the story needs. They depict a multicultural neighborhood and school population. The peacocks themselves (two blue, one white) look a lot more like Foghorn Leghorn with paddle-shaped tails than the striking ornamental fowl, which is underscored by the photographs that accompany an author’s note.
Fun for kids who know the cathedral (and for patrons of its gift shop); skippable for everybody else . (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5107-1480-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018
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Young readers will be “antsy” to join the hero on her satisfying escapade.
An ant explores her world.
Addie Ant’s ready for adventure. Despite some trepidation about leaving the Tomato Bed, where she lives with her aunt, she plucks up her courage and ventures forth across the garden to the far side of the shed. On her journey, she meets her pal Lewis Ladybug, who greets her warmly, points the way, and offers sage advice. When Addie arrives at her destination, she’s welcomed by lovely Beatrix Butterfly and enjoys an “ant-tastic” helping of watermelon. Beatrix also provides Addie with take-home treats and a map for the “Cricket Express,” which will take her straight home. Arriving at the terminal, Addie’s delighted to meet another friend, Cleo Cricket, whose carriage service returns Addie home in “two hops.” After eating a warm tomato soup dinner, Addie falls asleep and dreams of future exploits. Adorable though not terribly original, this story brims with sensuous pleasures, both textual and visual. Kids who declare that they dislike fruits or veggies may find their mouths watering at the mentions and sights of luscious tomatoes, peas, beans, watermelons, berries, and other foodstuffs; insect-averse readers may likewise think differently after encountering these convivial, wide-eyed characters. And those flowers and herbs everywhere! The highlights are the colors that burst from the pages. Addie’s an endearing, empowering character who reassures children they’ll be able to take those first independent steps successfully.
Young readers will be “antsy” to join the hero on her satisfying escapade. (author’s note about ants) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 9, 2024
ISBN: 9781797228914
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
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
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