An imaginative exploration of ocean depths.
In this South Korean import, an unhurried jellyfish finds just the right occupation.
In the upper reaches of an ocean where jellyfish serve as speedy buses for other sea creatures, the aptly named Slowpoke loses his job. Quickly bored by his “vacation,” he spends his days traveling. Down, down he goes to the darkest depths of the sea. There, he meets strange creatures who are eager to visit the Ocean Night Bazaar, a marine amusement park. Soon Slowpoke’s working as a bus again, ferrying new friends to their destination and having adventures along the way. The bottom dwellers are grateful for the opportunity to explore new settings, while Slowpoke’s happy to have a renewed sense of purpose. Though the story is fantastical, the creatures of the deep are recognizable and intriguing. They behave just as any child would, screeching with glee on the sea swing and pouting when it’s time to go home. Alternating between comic book–like panels and full-bleed pages, Lee’s lively illustrations emphasize the variety of creatures in the ocean, most of them engagingly cheerful. The spreads are filled with details to pore over; the bazaar is especially eye-catching, depicted over three spreads. Much of the text is in speech bubbles as passengers comment on what’s going on; the basic facts of Slowpoke’s journey are rendered in a sentence or two in a different font.
An imaginative exploration of ocean depths. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 15, 2025
ISBN: 9781771476911
Page Count: 52
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2025
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader!
Fun with friends makes for a great day.
Norbit, a salmon-colored worm with a pink kerchief, joyfully greets the day and everyone he encounters. “Hello, friends! It’s time for fun with the sun! Let’s play!” He and his menagerie of forest pals—including the sun, who grows limbs and descends from the sky—exuberantly engage in various forms of physical activity such as jumping, going down a slide, spinning around, and watching the clouds go by. Young readers will readily relate, as these are games that most children are familiar with. As day turns to night, Norbit says farewell to Sun and welcomes Moon with an invitation to continue the fun. Watkins has created a vivid world of movement and merriment. Her illustrations feature bright bursts of color that match the energy of the text, with most sentences ending in an exclamation point. The author/illustrator incorporates many elements that make for an ideal early-reading experience (despite the use of a contraction or two): art free from clutter, text consisting of words with only one or two syllables, and repetition and recurring bits, such as a continued game of hide-and-seek with Sun. Inspired by never-before-seen sketches from the Dr. Seuss Collection archives at the University of California San Diego, this is the first title for Seuss Studios, a new imprint for original stories from “emerging authors and illustrators” who “honor Seuss’s hallmark spirit of creativity and imagination.”
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader! (author's note) (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780593646212
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Seuss Studios
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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