Don’t be chicken: Stick with this one, a story that beats the band.
Three are simply better than two.
Bear and Squirrel, last seen in I’m Sticking With You (2020), rebuff Chicken’s entreaties to join their band. They’re adamant: “Three is a crowd.” Chicken eventually takes the hint and, spying a poster announcing “Musician Wanted (Chickens Only),” departs for that more welcoming gig. Unbeknownst to her, however—but perfectly knownst to little ones—is what that gig entails. In a giggle- (and uh-oh–) inducing scene, we see a wolf pack seated around a boiling pot, cutlery at the ready, waiting for their “musician.” Meanwhile, Bear and Squirrel attempt to convince themselves they did right in casting Chicken aside. Just in time, though, they catch wind of the wolves’ plot and rescue “their” Chicken. Bear and Squirrel, having changed their, ahem, tune, staunchly defend Chicken’s right to join the band, and they become a threesome. This adorable friendship story sings with charm, and the bouncy, rhythmic text scans beautifully. Bear, Squirrel, and Chicken are wonderfully expressive characters, individualized not only by their word choices, but also through printed type: Each one’s speech is signaled via different fonts. The protagonists may look very different, but this never dampens their camaraderie. The comically detailed illustrations, hand-drawn with pencil, painted with watercolor, and composed digitally, buzz with energy. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Don’t be chicken: Stick with this one, a story that beats the band. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 18, 2023
ISBN: 9781250849656
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Godwin Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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