Today’s kids will not be particularly shocked by the iconoclastic aspects of pop art, as was Lichtenstein’s contemporary...
The pop-art movement of the 20th century is revived in this modern compilation of works by Lichtenstein, who died in 1997.
Author Rubin has cleverly chosen works from three decades and put them together into a house-themed picture book for children, based around Lichtenstein’s “House 1,” a brightly painted aluminum full-size facade with playfully skewed perspective. Lichtenstein’s iconic cartoon-style illustrations of the rooms in the house (yellow is a favorite color) are interspersed with humorous details, such as three red fish in a bowl, a humungous hot dog, a slice of cherry pie, and objects from Roy’s studio. Speech bubbles and onomatopoeic words—“R-R-R-R-RING!” goes the telephone; there’s a “knock knock” at the door—will amuse young readers, and the cheery pop images with heavy, black outlines will have instant appeal for a range of readers. Even though there are no people in the book (aside from a disembodied white hand wielding a sponge), the tone is fun and friendly, and readers will feel welcome in Roy’s house. An author’s note gives a brief biography of the artist, and details of each featured painting are included in the backmatter.
Today’s kids will not be particularly shocked by the iconoclastic aspects of pop art, as was Lichtenstein’s contemporary audience, but his artwork has an enduring appeal . (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 7, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4521-1185-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2016
With so very few books about Haiti for young children available, this appealingly modest effort is well worth acquiring....
The title of this bedtime book (which borrows both theme and rhythms from Goodnight Moon) means “Goodnight Goat,” and the story is set in different parts of a peaceful, happy Haiti, unlike the country many know only from scenes of disaster on television.
Haitian Creole words are used within the rhyming text as a woman—a mother or grandmother—and a little boy walk around house and yard to say good night: “Bonnwit zandolit on the bannan tree”; “Bonnwit bourik at the creek.” Even without the glossary, readers will be able to guess that zandolit means lizard and bourik means donkey from the illustrations. Deeply tinted watercolors have a bit of the look of animated cartoons and show the varied landscapes of the Caribbean country, from the mountains to the sea. As in the great green room, all is calm, but there’s a little more life around, as the granmoun (an elderly person according to the glossary) sleeps on his mat in the lakou (yard), and the waves come to “meet the shore.”
With so very few books about Haiti for young children available, this appealingly modest effort is well worth acquiring. Bonnwit. (Picture book. 3-6) Bonnwit(Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-61153-073-5
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Light Messages
Review Posted Online: Aug. 28, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2013
Mildly amusing the first time through, there is not much more to get during repeated readings.
Eloise meets the Cat in the Hat in this rhymed story of a boy who “helps” his beleaguered relative tidy up.
Dressed in black shorts, white knee-highs and a bow tie, this blond, bright-eyed protagonist sweeps through his rarified setting like a whirlwind, wreaking havoc on every antique vase, suit of armor and pet in his path. The child’s constant state of cluelessness matches his aunt’s ongoing inability to stop him. The (sometimes-clunky) rhyming, first-person narration poses a stream of questions, aimed at discovering why Aunty has been screaming: “Or was it, Aunty, when I tried / to fix your bathroom sink, inside— / and then I heard that funny thud / that burst your pipes and caused that flood?” A white cat is doused in red ink during dusting, a budgie barely survives the vacuum cleaner, and somehow both Aunty May and a pink, frosted cake become caught in the ceiling fan. Joyner’s illustrations, rendered in a predominantly pink, gray and turquoise palette, have a retro, high-octane look, providing energy and touches of humor to this tale about the center of the universe and his privileged aunt.
Mildly amusing the first time through, there is not much more to get during repeated readings. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-921714-53-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little Hare/Trafalgar
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2013
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