by Steve Breen & illustrated by Steve Breen ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 10, 2013
Readers will relate to the bruised feelings, mistaken mix-ups, challenges and ultimate joys of best friendship. Let’s just...
How can two best friends that have a lot in common come to terms with their differences and resolve a huge misunderstanding? Leave it to these canine buddies to show how it is done.
Pale yellow Pug and pastel purple Doug both enjoy munching on day-old doughnuts, dancing to polka music and greeting each other with “a secret pawshake,” but they have unique personalities and preferences. Doug is artistic, imaginative and dramatic. Pug, not so much. In fact, “Doug thought that sometimes Pug could be a real stick-in-the-mud.” But Pug is actually quite loyal, methodical and persistent. When Doug glimpses an unfinished entry in Pug’s journal and misinterprets a few of Pug’s earlier actions, his imagination leads him to believe that Pug does not like him anymore. Pug realizes what has happened and sets out with dogged determination to make things right and successfully plan a birthday surprise. Cartoonist Breen gets the pacing and tone just right. The layout features varied sets of panels along with a few dramatic full-bleed spreads executed in mixed media of watercolor, acrylics and colored pencil. This design enhances the reading experience by turning a gentle, humorous story into a bit of a page turner.
Readers will relate to the bruised feelings, mistaken mix-ups, challenges and ultimate joys of best friendship. Let’s just hope Pug and Doug return for more adventures. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3521-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 1, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2012
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by Tom Percival ; illustrated by Tom Percival ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 3, 2019
A valuable asset to the library of a child who experiences anxiety and a great book to get children talking about their...
Ruby is an adventurous and happy child until the day she discovers a Worry.
Ruby barely sees the Worry—depicted as a blob of yellow with a frowny unibrow—at first, but as it hovers, the more she notices it and the larger it grows. The longer Ruby is affected by this Worry, the fewer colors appear on the page. Though she tries not to pay attention to the Worry, which no one else can see, ignoring it prevents her from enjoying the things that she once loved. Her constant anxiety about the Worry causes the bright yellow blob to crowd Ruby’s everyday life, which by this point is nearly all washes of gray and white. But at the playground, Ruby sees a boy sitting on a bench with a growing sky-blue Worry of his own. When she invites the boy to talk, his Worry begins to shrink—and when Ruby talks about her own Worry, it also grows smaller. By the book’s conclusion, Ruby learns to control her Worry by talking about what worries her, a priceless lesson for any child—or adult—conveyed in a beautifully child-friendly manner. Ruby presents black, with hair in cornrows and two big afro-puff pigtails, while the boy has pale skin and spiky black hair.
A valuable asset to the library of a child who experiences anxiety and a great book to get children talking about their feelings (. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0237-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
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by Rachel Bright ; illustrated by Chris Chatterton ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 6, 2022
Gently models kindness and respect—positive behavior that can be applied daily.
A group of young “dinosauruses” go out into the world on their own.
A fuchsia little Hugasaurus and her Pappysaur (both of whom resemble Triceratops) have never been apart before, but Hugasaurus happily heads off with lunchbox in hand and “wonder in her heart” to make new friends. The story has a first-day-of-school feeling, but Hugasaurus doesn’t end up in a formal school environment; rather, she finds herself on a playground with other little prehistoric creatures, though no teacher or adult seems to be around. At first, the new friends laugh and play. But Hugasaurus’ pals begin to squabble, and play comes to a halt. As she wonders what to do, a fuzzy platypus playmate asks some wise questions (“What…would your Pappy say to do? / What makes YOU feel better?”), and Hugasaurus decides to give everyone a hug—though she remembers to ask permission first. Slowly, good humor is restored and play begins anew with promises to be slow to anger and, in general, to help create a kinder world. Short rhyming verses occasionally use near rhyme but also include fun pairs like ripples and double-triples. Featuring cozy illustrations of brightly colored creatures, the tale sends a strong message about appropriate and inappropriate ways to resolve conflict, the final pages restating the lesson plainly in a refrain that could become a classroom motto. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Gently models kindness and respect—positive behavior that can be applied daily. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Dec. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-338-82869-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
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