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
Great for storytime or for little monkeys who need encouragement to run around.
Every little monkey needs to get up and move!
“Sleepy Little Monkey / Won’t get out of bed. // Mama called the Doctor / And the Doctor said: / ‘Apple Juice, / Orange Juice, / Gooseberry Pies— / Monkey needs / some exercise!’ ” Little Monkey pops out of bed and, after dressing, does some quick calisthenics. “First you get the rhythm of the head: / Ding-Dong! // Have you got the rhythm of the head? / Ding-Dong!” A sway of the head accompanies each ding-dong. Then there’s a clap and a stomp. There’s some hip shaking. “Put them all together / You’ll be feeling so much better.” Monkey goes through the movements forward and backward and gives a cheer. “Spunky Little Monkey / Ready for the day. / Come on, Monkey— / LET’S GO PLAY!” A frequent collaborator of the deceased Martin’s, Sampson turns out a rhythmic invitation to wiggle in the morning. The text's catchy enough that little monkeys will want to hear it again and simple enough they’ll learn it quickly. Won’s big, bright digital illustrations (made from scanned watercolor washes) feature an adorable, rosy-cheeked monkey of indeterminate gender in jean shorts and striped T-shirt going through the motions before running off with animal friends. It may be a bit unclear exactly what motions are called for each time, but Little Monkey's moving, and that's the point.
Great for storytime or for little monkeys who need encouragement to run around. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-545-77643-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
The flat ending is disappointing for a group of characters who could have exhibited a rousing rhythmic finale.
Just before showtime, the animals in the band must search for their instruments in the lost and found by their identifying sounds.
A mouse happily claims the trumpet after a congenial-looking rabbit clerk produces a bicycle horn, trumpet, and toy train in response to a request for an instrument that makes a “Toot! Toot! Toot!” sound. Similarly a beaver retrieves the triangle from an assortment of things that make a “Ding! Ding! Ding!” sound. An elephant and a squirrel find their piano and drum, and the band reassembles, led by their conductor, a bat. The animals’ questions are phrased in rhyming couplets: “The thing I lost goes Plink! Plank! Plunk! I play it with my big, long trunk,” explains the elephant. The simple, black-outlined cartoons against a white or pale yellow background extend the narrative so that readers are expected to discern objects with their corresponding sounds. The rabbit offers the elephant first a piggy bank (“Plink!”), then a flowerpot full of water (“Plank!”), and then a comically tiny piano (“Plunk!”). Unfortunately, as the band comes together, their meager performance reflects the bareness of this storyline. The bat ends the search and exclaims, “You found my things! They sound so grand. / One, two, three— // let’s hit it, band! / Toot! Ding! Plunk! Boom!”
The flat ending is disappointing for a group of characters who could have exhibited a rousing rhythmic finale. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 13, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-238068-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 5, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2017
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