It’s an outing antic enough to cause rough young salts to hoist their sippy cups in glee.
The opening episode of a rollicking pirate yarn replete with bones, heaps of treasure and Yo-Ho-Hos.
Transformed by a fabulously hideous Sea Witch into a talking skull-and-crossbones decorating a pirate hat, dashing buccaneer Jolly Jock Jenkins starts off at a disadvantage in a race against Captain Eggbert and his lizard-turned–giant green zombie Lil’ Buddy to fetch three hard-to-get curse-breaking items—a Dragon’s Tear, Black Beard’s beard and Big Foot’s Ingrown Toenail. Once Jolly lands atop the head of young pirate-wannabe Roger, however, and the two roar off aboard the souped-up flying boat Scully Bucket, the contest evens up. In a fine range of (often unpredictable) touch-activated flourishes, cannon fire, skeletons dance or light up, hilariously ugly monsters moan and rotting timbers groan. A moderately piratical-sounding narrator (joined on occasion by additional voices) supplies optional audio as the tale sails along to Dragon Mountain. After a double confrontation with an irritated but ticklish fire-breathing dragon and a pair of brutish but remarkably stupid rival thieves, the swashbuckling pirate hat and his attached pirate lad zoom away on their next quest. Stay tuned.
It’s an outing antic enough to cause rough young salts to hoist their sippy cups in glee. (iPad storybook app. 5-8)Pub Date: Nov. 22, 2011
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Unicorn Labs
Review Posted Online: Dec. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Continuing to find inspiration in the work of Virginia Lee Burton, Munro Leaf and other illustrators of the past, Long (The Little Engine That Could, 2005) offers an aw-shucks friendship tale that features a small but hardworking tractor (“putt puff puttedy chuff”) with a Little Toot–style face and a big-eared young descendant of Ferdinand the bull who gets stuck in deep, gooey mud. After the big new yellow tractor, crowds of overalls-clad locals and a red fire engine all fail to pull her out, the little tractor (who had been left behind the barn to rust after the arrival of the new tractor) comes putt-puff-puttedy-chuff-ing down the hill to entice his terrified bovine buddy successfully back to dry ground. Short on internal logic but long on creamy scenes of calf and tractor either gamboling energetically with a gaggle of McCloskey-like geese through neutral-toned fields or resting peacefully in the shade of a gnarled tree (apple, not cork), the episode will certainly draw nostalgic adults. Considering the author’s track record and influences, it may find a welcome from younger audiences too. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-399-25248-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2009
SEEN & HEARD
A tale of mutual adoration that hits a sweet note.
Little Honey Bunny Funnybunny loves baseball almost as much as she loves her big brother P.J.—though it’s a close-run thing.
Readers familiar with the pranks P.J. plays on his younger sibling in older episodes of the series (most illustrated by Roger Bollen) will be amused—and perhaps a little confused—to see him in the role of perfect big brother after meeting his swaddled little sister for the first time in mama’s lap. But here, along with being a constant companion and “always happy to see her,” he cements his heroic status in her eyes by hitting a home run for his baseball team and then patiently teaching her how to play T-ball. After carefully coaching her and leading her through warm-up exercises, he even sits in the stands, loudly cheering her on as she scores the winning run in her own very first game. “‘You are the best brother a bunny could ever have!’” she burbles. This tale’s a tad blander compared with others centered on P.J. and his sister, but it’s undeniably cheery, with text well structured for burgeoning readers. The all-smiles animal cast in Bowers’ cartoon art features a large and diversely hued family of bunnies sporting immense floppy ears as well as a multispecies crowd of furry onlookers equally varied of color, with one spectator in a wheelchair.
A tale of mutual adoration that hits a sweet note. (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2026
ISBN: 9798217032464
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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