Cute—but short a few grapes.
Learn gentle information-gathering skills through jelly-making.
Bunny is a rabbit on a mission: to make a peanut-butter–and–grape-jelly sandwich for lunch. Sadly, the household appears to be out of jelly, and no one can help. Mom is busy with work, so Bunny resolves to make some. But…Bunny’s older brother’s phone search returns shoes instead of jelly; Dad’s understanding is pretty rudimentary; Grandma’s friends quarrel over whose recipe is the correct one; and pal Kitty’s knowledge is guided more by click-bait internet videos than facts. Bunny’s last hope is the public library, where a giraffe librarian directs her to the cookbook section and a reliable answer. The story and the illustrations are adorable, but the message about the importance of finding trusted sources is simplistic. A skillful educator or caregiver may be able to use the story as a springboard for a meaningful conversation about discovering valid info, but it will be an uphill journey. The added (outdated) implication that a library is useful only for paper-based research help is unintended misinformation that should be avoided. Backmatter includes a recipe for making (but not canning) jelly, but there are no further tips on finding trusted sources. It’s a shame because the story had potential. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Cute—but short a few grapes. (Picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Feb. 9, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-11528-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look...
Winning actually isn’t everything, as jazz-happy Rooster learns when he goes up against the legendary likes of Mules Davis and Ella Finchgerald at the barnyard talent show.
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look good—particularly after his “ ‘Hen from Ipanema’ [makes] / the barnyard chickies swoon.”—but in the end the competition is just too stiff. No matter: A compliment from cool Mules and the conviction that he still has the world’s best band soon puts the strut back in his stride. Alexander’s versifying isn’t always in tune (“So, he went to see his cousin, / a pianist of great fame…”), and despite his moniker Rooster plays an electric bass in Bower’s canted country scenes. Children are unlikely to get most of the jokes liberally sprinkled through the text, of course, so the adults sharing it with them should be ready to consult the backmatter, which consists of closing notes on jazz’s instruments, history and best-known musicians.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-58536-688-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
A lesson that never grows old, enacted with verve by two favorite friends
Gerald the elephant learns a truth familiar to every preschooler—heck, every human: “Waiting is not easy!”
When Piggie cartwheels up to Gerald announcing that she has a surprise for him, Gerald is less than pleased to learn that the “surprise is a surprise.” Gerald pumps Piggie for information (it’s big, it’s pretty, and they can share it), but Piggie holds fast on this basic principle: Gerald will have to wait. Gerald lets out an almighty “GROAN!” Variations on this basic exchange occur throughout the day; Gerald pleads, Piggie insists they must wait; Gerald groans. As the day turns to twilight (signaled by the backgrounds that darken from mauve to gray to charcoal), Gerald gets grumpy. “WE HAVE WASTED THE WHOLE DAY!…And for WHAT!?” Piggie then gestures up to the Milky Way, which an awed Gerald acknowledges “was worth the wait.” Willems relies even more than usual on the slightest of changes in posture, layout and typography, as two waiting figures can’t help but be pretty static. At one point, Piggie assumes the lotus position, infuriating Gerald. Most amusingly, Gerald’s elephantine groans assume weighty physicality in spread-filling speech bubbles that knock Piggie to the ground. And the spectacular, photo-collaged images of the Milky Way that dwarf the two friends makes it clear that it was indeed worth the wait.
A lesson that never grows old, enacted with verve by two favorite friends . (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4231-9957-1
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2014
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