This terrific tater will appeal to plenty of tots.
Who rolls into action when an “escapee” from the freezer sets off an after-hours supermarket ruckus?
It’s all eyes on Supertato, racing to the rescue as someone swathes Cucumber in toilet paper, tapes Carrot to the conveyor belt with Band-Aids, and pushes hapless little veggies into a vat of gooey dip. Yes, there’s a pea on the loose—chortling evilly (“Mwah ha ha ha ha!”) and leading the intrepid tuber on a merry chase over darkened shelves that nearly sees the pursuer himself pulverized before the leering legume can be trapped in a wobbly gelatin dessert and led back to cold storage. Whew! Hendra and Linnet put googly-eyed faces on all the produce, outfit the two leads with masks and capes, and leave it to sharp-eyed viewers to spot the elusive trickster masquerading as a cherry atop a cupcake in one cartoon scene or in other concealment. The breathless, alliterative narrative eschews obvious puns (like that one), but Broccoli’s comment that “This jelly tastes of pea!” will elicit a gale of storytime snickers, and a suggestion to check freezers at home for signs of a similar “escapee” adds an equally chewy bit of wordplay to the end. The black type is occasionally set on deep blue backgrounds, making those blocks of text a challenge to read.
This terrific tater will appeal to plenty of tots. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: June 30, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4814-9037-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
Part Hardy Boys, part archeology, this mesmerizing look at the discovery of the prehistoric cave paintings of Lascaux invites today’s readers to experience the wonder of the event. McCully has written and drawn a stunning fictionalized account based on historical records and interviews. The endpapers entice with the rendering of the maps of the caves, and soft, wide watercolor strokes capture the essence of the prehistoric art. When the action is aboveground, the realistic illustrations are her characteristic ink-and-watercolor style, but below the ground the edges soften and the images become shadowy and mysterious. The Caldecott winner gets the emotions of the secret descent for buried treasure just right, drawing readers' eyes down the tight shaft to the light of the first boy’s lantern in the large art-filled chamber. In one glorious wordless spread, the boys (and readers) are filled with awe at the revelation of the pristine art. What to do with this knowledge? The boys know just whom to trust. Budding historians will be amazed by this story of curiosity and serendipity. (author’s note, bibliography) (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2010
ISBN: 970-0-374-36694-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2010
An early chapter book with a pleasantly recognizable cast of characters that, disappointingly, misses the opportunity to...
Daisy, a collector of admirable words, wants to find the perfect word to give her teacher as a gift.
An early-grade primary-school student, Daisy has lots of favorite words she collects in her notebook. After the children find out their gentle teacher is getting married, they all want to bring her gifts. Daisy’s pleasure in her search, though, is complicated by Samantha, her next-door neighbor and classmate she finds annoying. An otherwise congenial child, Daisy does whatever she can to avoid Samantha—including cutting through shrubbery to meet her friend Emma and pulling up her hood and singing as she hurries by Samantha’s house. All of this carefully planned avoidance of Samantha seems to be leading up to Daisy's recognition of her own subtle bullying and perhaps her selection of a perfect word like “friend” that represents this understanding. Instead, her frequently depicted problems with Samantha are never directly addressed. The perfect word Daisy finally chooses, “giggle,” does elicit a pleasing compliment from Samantha that may hint at an improvement in their relationship. Simple, charming illustrations appear on almost every spread; pages feature wide spacing and limited text, an inviting presentation for very young independent readers.
An early chapter book with a pleasantly recognizable cast of characters that, disappointingly, misses the opportunity to gently address a pertinent issue. (Fiction. 5-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-55453-645-0
Page Count: 88
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: Feb. 4, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2012
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