Unfortunately, the well-meaning message is delivered by a character whose lack of affect has no likely appeal for the...
A particularly poker-faced clown searches far and wide for happiness after the circus closes, only to find it after a most unexpected and unpleasant event.
On the cover Bobo’s smile is missing. Even though the endpapers offer myriad upturned mouths to choose from, recovering his smile will not come so easily. Yes, life was good when he could make people laugh, but that all vanishes when the circus is shuttered. Initially sad, the clown decides to take a trip around the world. Chwast’s flat, bright colors outlined in ink on muted pastel backgrounds illustrate his many adventures: in an airplane, on a roller coaster, astride an elephant and underwater. Each framed picture portrays a straight-faced Bobo experiencing it all. The first-person narration, delivered in an easy-to-read text, accompanies the retro graphic art. “Finally it was time to go home.” The following wordless spread reveals a bewildered Bobo crossing a city street teeming with vehicles. Somewhat shockingly the page turn shows a suspicious man all in brown robbing the colorful clown. This results in the buttons falling off of his clothes and hat. He then begins to juggle the buttons—still with an expressionless face. Soon his juggling draws a crowd. Then he smiles.
Unfortunately, the well-meaning message is delivered by a character whose lack of affect has no likely appeal for the intended preschool audience. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 15, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-56846-221-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Creative Editions/Creative Company
Review Posted Online: Feb. 21, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2012
A regrettably awkward introduction to yoga.
When a yogi moves in next door, Emily learns enough to help him when he gets stuck.
Emily wonders why her new neighbor, Albert, “twist[s] himself into all kinds of strange positions on his front lawn.” He tells her about yoga and the mantra “om,” explaining, “It’s a magic word that everything understands….It helps me feel quiet and relaxed.” Emily tries it for herself but doesn’t fully realize its power until she helps Albert when he gets “stuck.” While this could be read figuratively, illustrations show Albert as literally “all twisted up,” with his legs and arms like twisted taffy and sweat beads on his face. This seems to poke fun, as does the “Dude! You’re totally stuck!” offered by a passing lifeguard. He and others try to help and struggle to figure out what Albert means when he moans “O…!” Nothing helps—not the phone suggested by the lifeguard, the garden gnome a police officer brings nor the poem of the librarian. There’s an odd dissonance in the humor—Albert seems to be genuinely suffering, and the others’ buffoonery, however well-intentioned, seems ill-placed. Once Emily steps in and says, “Ommmmmm,” Albert relaxes, and his arms and legs come “unstuck.” This inspires everyone to say “om” and use relaxation and yoga when they get stuck—figuratively or otherwise.
A regrettably awkward introduction to yoga. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-897476-35-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simply Read
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2014
For Boomers, a nostalgic trip back to their diaper-clad days, and if not exactly multicultural (despite some song lyrics in...
Despite the art’s distinctly retro look and coloring, the five Golden Books in this gathering—four complete, one excerpted—only rarely come off as period pieces.
Lap-sitters and lap-providers alike will enjoy following a delighted-looking preschooler who is credibly ambiguous of gender, though to judge from the visible toys and furniture, probably originally intended to be a girl. She takes them on a tour of Baby’s House (1950, written by Gelolo McHugh) before moving on to Ruth Krauss’s hymn to empowerment I Can Fly (1950), the concept-driven Up and Down Book (1964), the contemporary nursery rhymes of Miriam Clark Potter in The Golden Book of Little Verses (1953) and the 21 standard folk songs and singing games selected from The New Golden Song Book (1955). All but the last two titles are published here for the first time in a large format. Though Blair’s modernist illustrations display stylistic changes over the years, they make the transition in size without losing their bright colors and sharply defined figures. Furthermore, her fondness for floating children, familiar pets or farm animals and isolated details in open-bordered compositions adds timeless, energetic visual rhythms, even to bedtime scenes.
For Boomers, a nostalgic trip back to their diaper-clad days, and if not exactly multicultural (despite some song lyrics in German and French), still enjoyable for today's young children. (introduction) (Picture book collection. 3-5, adult)Pub Date: Aug. 7, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-375-87044-6
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Golden Books/Random
Review Posted Online: June 19, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
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