by Susan Middleton Elya & illustrated by David Walker ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2010
Finicky eaters abound in this rainforest/selva, in which several bilingual baby animals refuse their normal foods. Bananas are funky for one small Monkey, pomegranate seeds too messy for Baby Toucan, mango too sweet for a young Iguana and the same flower petal over and over is “so lame!” according to Little Butterfly. Elya’s signature blended Spanish-with-English couplets highlight a series of dietary complaints summed up best by a tiny hummingbird tired of eating nectar. “ ‘Flowers—no más!’ He flits there en frente. / ‘Hummingbird kids need food diferente!’ ” Variety proves a spicy solution when one creative mama macaw surprises everyone with a midweek-playgroup fruit ensalada that offers deliciously new choices for all to share. Walker’s acrylic paintings in rich, primary rainforest colors add appeal to the bouncy, sometimes uneven rhyme. Kids with picky palates will appreciate the message and discover new tasty options while training their tongues with morsels of Spanish. An illustrated glossary and pronunciation guide completes the fare. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: June 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-399-24766-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2010
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by Craig Smith ; illustrated by Katz Cowley ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2010
Hee haw.
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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
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by Alex Vern & illustrated by Alex Vern ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2001
The lifecycle of the frog is succinctly summarized in this easy reader for children reading at the late first-grade level. In just one or two sentences per page, Vern details the amazing metamorphosis of the frog from egg to tadpole to adult, even injecting a little humor despite the tight word count. (“Watch out fly! Mmmm!) Large, full-color photographs on white backgrounds clearly illustrate each phase of development. Without any mention of laying eggs or fertilization, the title might be a bit misleading, but the development from black dot egg to full-grown frog is fascinating. A simple chart of the three main lifecycle steps is also included. Lifecycles are part of the standard curriculum in the early elementary grades, and this will be a welcome addition to school and public libraries, both for its informational value and as an easy reader. (Nonfiction/easy reader. 5-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-15-216304-2
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Green Light/Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2001
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