Simple yet funny enough for multiple readings.
The essential words are right in the title—and somehow forgotten by all but one of the animals offered a selection of brightly colored doughnuts.
The titular panda is large and blocky, black and white against a neutral background. Mr. Panda’s expression is neutral as well, lending him an air of solemnity though he carries a lovely box of doughnuts and wears a ridiculously tiny hat with just one word on it: Doughnuts. “Would you like a doughnut?” he asks several black-and-white creatures (a penguin, a skunk, an ostrich, an orca) in turn. The ostrich declines, “No, go away,” but the others speak right up. “Give me the pink one,” says the penguin. “I want the blue one and the yellow one,” says the skunk. Mr. Panda’s ever-so-slightly passive-aggressive but certainly dignified response: “No, you cannot have a doughnut. I have changed my mind.” By the time a ring-tailed lemur comes up with not only a polite “May I…?” but a big “PLEASE, Mr. Panda?” tiny young listeners may be so pleased—and relieved—to see the dazzling treats given away that they won’t notice how deftly they’ve been given a manners lesson. Households with toddlers may find a new family catchphrase as Mr. Panda demonstrates one approach to eliciting those elusive “magic words.”
Simple yet funny enough for multiple readings. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-545-78892-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2014
Innovative and thoroughly enjoyable.
You think you know shapes? Animals? Blend them together, and you might see them both a little differently!
What a mischievous twist on a concept book! With wordplay and a few groan-inducing puns, Neal creates connections among animals and shapes that are both unexpected and so seemingly obvious that readers might wonder why they didn’t see them all along. Of course, a “lazy turtle” meeting an oval would create the side-splitting combo of a “SLOW-VAL.” A dramatic page turn transforms a deeply saturated, clean-lined green oval by superimposing a head and turtle shell atop, with watery blue ripples completing the illusion. Minimal backgrounds and sketchy, impressionistic detailing keep the focus right on the zany animals. Beginning with simple shapes, the geometric forms become more complicated as the book advances, taking readers from a “soaring bird” that meets a triangle to become a “FLY-ANGLE” to a “sleepy lion” nonagon “YAWN-AGON.” Its companion text, Animal Colors, delves into color theory, this time creating entirely hybrid animals, such as the “GREEN WHION” with maned head and whale’s tail made from a “blue whale and a yellow lion.” It’s a compelling way to visualize color mixing, and like Animal Shapes, it’s got verve. Who doesn’t want to shout out that a yellow kangaroo/green moose blend is a “CHARTREUSE KANGAMOOSE”?
Innovative and thoroughly enjoyable. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0534-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance.
A boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too.
Norman, a “perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Percival (The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. Black-and-white illustrations show his father with dark skin and hair and his mother as white. The contrast of black-and-white illustrations with splashes of bright color complements the story’s theme. While Norman tries to be “normal,” the world and people around him look black and gray, but his coat stands out in yellow. Birds pop from the page in pink, green, and blue, emphasizing the joy and beauty of flying free. The final spread, full of bright color and multiracial children in flight, sets the mood for Norman’s realization on the last page that there is “no such thing as perfectly normal,” but he can be “perfectly Norman.”
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-785-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
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