Murphy’s newest addition to the MathStart series (Probably Pistachio, see below, etc.) introduces readers to the concept of odd and even numbers. Farmer Bill is shivering in the snowy air, but the barnyard needs tending. To his confusion and consternation he finds that, though he is snuggled warmly into his long underwear, hat, coat, scarf, and earmuffs he’s sadly short of one mitten. Here the reader sees the first example of odd and even. This concept is stated in the rhyming text as well as illustrated plainly on the adjoining page. As Farmer Bill visits his farm animals, he discovers that not only does the cow have only three, not four mittens, but his two horses have only seven mittens—not enough for eight hooves. One by one it becomes clear that each animal is short one, each being stuck with an odd number of mittens. Who’s the rascal behind this mischief? Well, let’s just say that when all the mittens are retrieved each has a few mouthfuls munched away. The book closes with two pages of activities for parents to share with their readers from discussions stemming directly from the book to activities drawn from daily life. Karas’s distinctive and confident artwork is a flurry of snowy landscape and snuggly barn. Once the culprit is revealed, readers will want to go back and find him in each scene. (Picture book. 3-7)
Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2001
ISBN: 0-06-028026-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2000
A visual feast teeming with life.
A young urbanite romps through floral fields and deep into a flower’s anatomy, exploring humanity’s connection to nature.
A solo car travels away from the dense, gray cityscape. Mountains rise up, full of pattern and light, before revealing a fluorescent field of flowers. A child bursts from the car across the page, neon-rainbow hair streaming in the wind, as both child and place radiate joy and life. The brown-skinned, blue-eyed youngster breathes in the meadow and begins an adventure—part Jamberry, part “Thumbelina,” and part existential journey as the child realizes the life force running through the veins of the flower is the same that runs through all of us, from the water that sustains to the sun that grows. Harris’ colored-pencil illustrations are full of energy and spontaneity. His use of patterning and graphic symbology evoke Oaxacan design, yet the style is all his own. The text is equally enthusiastic: “Have you ever seen / a flower so deep / you had to shout / HELLO / and listen for an echo / just to know / how deep it goes?” The text shifts abruptly from metaphor to metaphor, in one spread the flower likened to a palace and a few pages later, to human anatomy. Nevertheless, like the protagonist and the natural environment, readers will feel themselves stretch and bloom.
A visual feast teeming with life. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4521-8270-4
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2021
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PERSPECTIVES
Quirky, unexpected fun.
From the Geisel Award–winning team behind See the Cat (2020) comes another surprising, amusing, and educational treat for beginning readers.
With a “One…two…three,” an unseen narrator tells light-skinned Jack, brown-skinned Jill, and Rex the smiling pooch to “Go and Get” objects beginning with a given letter. Rex (less excitable than Max, the previous series’ star) wordlessly woofs but is revealed to be cleverer than readers might initially assume. For the letter F, the kids bring a “FROG” and a “FISH,” but Rex brings a duck…who is quickly revealed to be a “FRIEND.” For the letters S and M, Jill returns with a “SKUNK” and a “MOOSE,” while Rex persists with ducks—who slyly turn out to fulfill the requirements (a pair of “SISTERS” and a group of “MUSICIANS”). Finally, it’s time for the letter D! While Jack rides in on a “DINOSAUR in a DRESS with a DRUM,” and Jill produces a “DRAGON at a DESK drawing a DAISY,” Rex is empty-handed. The narrator is “disappointed,” until a few woofs convey that Rex is, of course, a “DOG.” Expert pacing enhances the humor. Expressive cartoons highlight the deadpan moment before the narrator (and readers) catch on to Rex’s unexpected wins, and a final spread features many D-related words.
Quirky, unexpected fun. (Early reader. 4-7)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9781536222067
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
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