McCormick and Lazzell try to pass off frenetic bad behavior and annoying sibling rivalry as amusing antics and engaging character development in this graphic-style chapter book.
The focus is on family interactions and everyday activities, though the family in question is at least a little bit odd. Inexplicably, Mr. Pants, an orange cat with two distinctly different-sized eyes, Foot Foot, a smaller gray cat, and Grommy, a white kitten with a pink bow, have a human mother who sports stylized Laura Petrie hair and gives off a retro vibe. The plot focuses on big brother Mr. Pants, who nags his mom for an end-of-summer outing while whining his way through a trip to the “Fairy Princess Dream Factory” and a back-to-school shopping spree. Uneven attempts at injecting humor vary from adultcentric (Mom’s shoe addiction and Mr. Pants’ nicknames for his sister, which include My Left Foot and Agony of deFeet) to gross-out (Mr. Pants’ grungy room). Despite the graphic-novel format, there’s no sense of flow to the static artwork, which features panels of varying sizes in mostly muted shades of mustard, plum, gray and mauve with flat, spare settings and simply silhouetted characters. Pedestrian, predictable and totally tedious, this generic effort fails to appeal either visually or literarily. (Graphic novel. 7-9)
Pub Date: July 10, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-8037-4007-5
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
A sure hit for jazz fans who like to dance along with their read-alouds.
A band of insects, speaking Spanish, French, and jazz scat, survives a shipwreck in this third installment of a picture-book series.
The Jazz Bugs—featuring Jazz Fly on drums, Nancy the Gnat on saxophone, Centipede Sam on piano, and Willie the Worm on bass—perform on the cruise ship SS Le Magnifique, with Capt. Cockroach at the helm. The group plays so well that no one notices the thunder in the distance or the rolling of the ship until a storm hits and the vessel crashes on the shoals. With the help of the band, Capt. Cockroach gets the passengers aboard lifeboats. Most of the musicians find safety in a glass bottle until the tempest passes. While much of the adventure involves the band’s waiting for rescue, the story isn’t the highlight here. Gollub’s use of music, especially when the book is accompanied by the included CD or audio download, gives the tale its texture. The author’s phrases don’t always rhyme, which could baffle grown-ups trying to read this work aloud. But the audio enhances the experience, exposing kids to music in 5/4 or 7/8 time. The inclusion of Spanish and French is seamless, especially when pronounced by Gollub and the other performers. Hanke’s bright, eye-catching illustrations are sure child pleasers, and, despite the dangerous storm, her depictions of peril are never too scary for young readers.
A sure hit for jazz fans who like to dance along with their read-alouds.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-889910-54-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Tortuga Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 5, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Completely “pig-dic-u-lous”—and a whole lot of fun.
More hard-boiled hilarity, this time with a side of apples.
In their third case, mice Detective Wilcox and Capt. Griswold, esteemed Missing Food Investigators, look into the latest “bad apple” on the farm. The action starts with a call from a doctor at Whole Hog Emergency Care. It seems Porcini “pigged out” on a basket of apples that may have been deliberately poisoned! For the MFIs, that’s a Code 22—better known as “attempted hamslaughter.” The detectives rush to the scene of the crime to get the 411 and “save [Porcini’s] bacon.” At the pig’s pen, they find the basket (with four remaining apples) and a series of hoof, claw, and paw prints. The MFIs quickly narrow down the suspects to fellow farm animals Sweet Pea (another pig), Herman the Vermin (a rat), and Hot Dog (a dog, natch). But whodunit? Forensics will reveal the truth. With a successful formula established in earlier series entries, this one’s par for the course. The five chapters range in text complexity, reaching 23 lines at most per page. Full-color cartoon spot illustrations provide contextual clues and break up the text. Though yellow sticky notes define slangy terms like “tox screen” and “perp,” the abundant wordplay is perhaps best deciphered by more confident readers.
Completely “pig-dic-u-lous”—and a whole lot of fun. (recipe) (Early reader. 7-9)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-939547-76-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Creston
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
