This No, David! with a canine protagonist should appeal to a broad audience, whether dog lovers or not
A humorous story about a lovable, troublemaking puppy.
Flash is an energetic, rambunctious puppy whose thirst for fun means this playful pup’s choices often put him in the doghouse. Paul’s delightfully expressive pencil-and-watercolor illustrations keep the pace moving forward, with Flash often romping about all over the spread. Flash’s antics will elicit smiles from readers as he harasses the family cat, wreaks havoc with a stick, digs up the garden, and destroys shoes and clothes—all with a joyous grin. His capers are recounted in a rhyme and rhythm that both works and begs to be read aloud. The refrain, “Bad dog, Flash,” will have readers joining in. Paul’s used of varied perspectives ensures that Flash’s typical misbehaving-dog shenanigans are never anything but entertaining. The many reprimands the adorably confused Flash receives culminate in a despondent dog, but he is saved from gloom and despair by his human, who loves him even when he is disobedient. Paul scores extra comedic points with the cat, who is always pleased to see Flash get in trouble.
Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4926-0153-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2014
Charming Easter fun.
You may know the Easter Bunny, but get ready to meet Peter Easter Frog!
Peter loves Easter, and he’s not going to let the fact that he’s a frog and not a bunny stop him, especially when he’s so good at hopping! He looks absolutely delighted to be hopping around delivering Easter eggs. As he hops along, so does a repeated refrain, which always begins with two words ending with “-ity” coupled with “Easter’s on its—” (“Squishity, squashity, Easter’s on its—”; “Yippity, yappity, Easter’s on its—”); each page turn playfully upends the expected conclusion of the line. Karas’ cheery art portrays a growing array of animals: a turtle decked out in lipstick and a spiffy Easter bonnet, a cow with flower choker necklace, and a sheepdog and a chipmunk sans finery. As Peter gives out colorful, patterned Easter eggs to the other animals, they are, at first, shocked to see an Easter frog but soon join him in his charitable mission to spread Easter cheer. The moment when the cow responds to the dog’s challenge that she is not a cow-bunny by pointing out its own breed as a “sheepdog” may elicit laughs, especially from adult readers. When the group finally meets the real Easter Bunny—hilariously, at the end of a dark tunnel—it seems that things may go awry, but all ends hoppily, happily, and inclusively. The text does not use dialogue tags, instead setting narration and dialogue in separate, distinctive typefaces; unfortunately, this design is not consistently applied, which may confuse readers. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-22-inch double-page spreads viewed at 26.8% of actual size.)
Charming Easter fun. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Jan. 19, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4814-6489-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
A sweet cetacean story.
The flora and fauna of the ocean respond to a lonely whale’s beautiful music by helping him find another whale.
“Whale’s song was so beautiful it could reach the farthest of faraways.” Over a double-page spread, a simply drawn white whale—detailed with a large eye, a small mouth and fins, and a small lavender heart—swims past a variety of pastel-hued sea denizens. The lyrical text is set in type that emulates hand-lettering. Watercolors are the appropriate choice for a tale that occurs in a sea full of creatures—with an occasional glimpse of land and sky as well as a cheerfully colored sailboat and lighthouse. Collage, pencil sketching, and washes produce a dreamlike effect that also feels sweetly humorous. A double-page spread of sea horses lounging atop spirited jellyfish is especially whimsical. Musical terms are cleverly used to describe the singing whale’s positive effects on others (“a cheerful symphony for a sad urchin”). After several pages of poetic lines about the talented singer, readers learn that his heart feels “empty.” The ocean carries his sighing wish across miles of lovingly rendered sea habitats until the solo becomes a duet. Although the flap copy speaks of friendship, even the youngest of readers will sense that this is a whale of a romance. Beneath its warmth is a poignant reminder of the loss to all if whale songs become history.
A sweet cetacean story. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-984-83627-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
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