by Steve Smallman & illustrated by Lee Wildish ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2010
"Five bored Vikings went out hiking," looking for adventure...or just something to do. Gangly Loggi Longsocks (in shades of pink from head to toe and sporting a skull belt buckle) suggests catching a dragon and making a stew. In no time, they load a ship with supplies and set sail. When a giant orange squid attacks their ship, they tie its tentacles into knots. They travel a long time—until all their sandwiches are gone. Luckily, a passing killer whale guides them to Dragon Island, where an enormous pile of poo tells them they're on the right track; they climb a rocky hill that turns out to be the dragon, who sets all their pants on fire as they flee. Smallman's text, in phonetically crunchy verse, bounces humorously along, and Wildish makes each member of the Viking quintet deliciously distinct. The ending's a bit of a letdown, but readers both young and old should laugh at the resemblance of these ragtag Vikings to resourceful kids battling boredom in the backyard. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-56148-695-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Good Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2010
Share your opinion of this book
More by Steve Smallman
BOOK REVIEW
by Steve Smallman ; illustrated by Joëlle Dreidemy
BOOK REVIEW
by Steve Smallman ; illustrated by Ada Grey
BOOK REVIEW
by Steve Smallman ; illustrated by Joëlle Dreidemy
by Jessie Sima ; illustrated by Jessie Sima ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 14, 2017
A slim, feel-good story, as light and airy as the rainbows that grace its pages.
Being true to yourself means embracing differences and striding (or paddling) fearlessly into the world.
Emerging from a giant clam, baby unicorn Kelp lives among narwhals, believing he’s just not as good as everyone else at swimming, appreciating a squid dinner, or breathing underwater (he sports a glass diving helmet—with a gasket-encircled hole for his horn). Swept close to shore one day, he spies for the first time an adult unicorn and, struck by the resemblance to himself, totters onto solid ground. The “land narwhals” explain to him that they—and he—are unicorns. Kelp’s blissful new life of learning to do special unicorn things amid sparkles and rainbows is punctuated by sadness over the narwhal friends he left behind. Upon returning to his watery home, Kelp learns that the narwhals knew all along that he was actually a unicorn. Following a brief internal tussle over where he truly belongs, Kelp recognizes that he doesn’t have to be just one thing or another and happily unites his friends at the shoreline. As seen in Sima’s soft, digital illustrations, Kelp is adorable, and she evokes both undersea and aboveground environments artfully. The message is an appealing one that could speak to many family situations relating to multiple identities, but the central dilemma is resolved so quickly and easily that there is little room for emotional engagement.
A slim, feel-good story, as light and airy as the rainbows that grace its pages. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-6909-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Nov. 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2016
Share your opinion of this book
More by Jessie Sima
BOOK REVIEW
by Jessie Sima ; illustrated by Jessie Sima
BOOK REVIEW
by Jessie Sima ; illustrated by Jessie Sima
BOOK REVIEW
by Jessie Sima ; illustrated by Jessie Sima
by Amanda Driscoll ; illustrated by Amanda Driscoll ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 9, 2015
Like the last sip of a chocolate milkshake, it’s very satisfying.
A story-reading dragon—what’s not to like?
Duncan the Dragon loves to read. But the stories so excite him, his imagination catches fire—and so do his books, leaving him wondering about the endings. Does the captain save the ship? Do aliens conquer the Earth? Desperate to reach the all-important words “The End” (“like the last sip of a chocolate milk shake”), he tries reading in the refrigerator, in front of a bank of electric fans, and even in a bathtub filled with ice. Nothing works. He decides to ask a friend to read to him, but the raccoon, possum, and bull all refuse. Weeping, Duncan is ready to give up, but one of his draconic tears runs “split-splat into a mouse,” a book-loving mouse! Together they battle sea monsters, dodge icebergs, and discover new lands, giving rise to a fast friendship. Driscoll’s friendly illustrations are pencil sketches painted in Adobe Photoshop; she varies full-bleed paintings with vignettes surrounded by white space, imaginary scenes rendered in monochrome to set them apart. Duncan himself is green, winged, and scaly, but his snout is unthreateningly bovine, and he wears red sneakers with his shoelaces untied—a nicely vulnerable touch. Though there are lots of unusual friendship stories in picture books, the vivid colors, expressive faces, and comic details make this one likely to be a storytime hit.
Like the last sip of a chocolate milkshake, it’s very satisfying. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-385-75507-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
Share your opinion of this book
More by Amanda Driscoll
BOOK REVIEW
by Amanda Driscoll ; illustrated by Amanda Driscoll
BOOK REVIEW
by Amanda Driscoll ; illustrated by Amanda Driscoll
BOOK REVIEW
by Amanda Driscoll ; illustrated by Amanda Driscoll
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.