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SALLY GOES TO HEAVEN

Gentle, understated and comforting to both children and adults.

The final entry in the late Huneck’s series about Sally the black Labrador is a touching account of Sally’s death from old age and her joyous experiences in heaven.

On the opening page, Sally hears the front door close. She is in pain and no longer wants to eat. The dog spends her last day peacefully sleeping in the sun, and the next morning, “Sally wakes up in heaven.” There are three pearly gates in Huneck’s illustration: for “good people,” “good dogs” and “good cats.” Sally finds she is no longer in pain and that heaven is full of friendly dogs, along with surprising treats like gigantic piles of dirty socks and meatballs growing on bushes. There are no leashes or fences, and all kinds of animals are friends, with human companions always ready to throw a stick or scratch a tummy. In a satisfying conclusion, Sally wishes her family would adopt another dog, and a yellow Labrador joins the family she left behind. Huneck’s distinctive woodcuts with bold lines and simplified shapes ideally complement the restrained yet emotionally rich story. This stands alongside Cynthia Rylant’s Dog Heaven (1995) as recommended bibliotherapy for families who have experienced the death of a beloved dog and who wish to promote the notion of an afterlife.

Gentle, understated and comforting to both children and adults. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: April 1, 2014

ISBN: 978-1-4197-0969-2

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Abrams

Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2014

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THE WONKY DONKEY

Hee haw.

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The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.

In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.

Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)

Pub Date: May 1, 2010

ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1

Page Count: 26

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018

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KNIGHT OWL

A charming blend of whimsy and medieval heroism highlighting the triumph of brains over brawn.

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A young owl achieves his grand ambition.

Owl, an adorably earnest and gallant little owlet, dreams of being a knight. He imagines himself defeating dragons and winning favor far and wide through his brave exploits. When a record number of knights go missing, Owl applies to Knight School and is surprisingly accepted. He is much smaller than the other knights-in-training, struggles to wield weapons, and has “a habit of nodding off during the day.” Nevertheless, he graduates and is assigned to the Knight Night Watch. While patrolling the castle walls one night, a hungry dragon shows up and Owl must use his wits to avoid meeting a terrible end. The result is both humorous and heartwarming, offering an affirmation of courage and clear thinking no matter one’s size…and demonstrating the power of a midnight snack. The story never directly addresses the question of the missing knights, but it is hinted that they became the dragon’s fodder, leaving readers to question Owl’s decision to befriend the beast. Humor is supplied by the characters’ facial expressions and accented by the fact that Owl is the only animal in his order of big, burly human knights. Denise’s accomplished digital illustrations—many of which are full bleeds—often use a warm sepia palette that evokes a feeling of antiquity, and some spreads feature a pleasing play of chiaroscuro that creates suspense and drama.

A charming blend of whimsy and medieval heroism highlighting the triumph of brains over brawn. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: March 15, 2022

ISBN: 978-0-316-31062-8

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books

Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2022

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