A silly and fast-paced adventure that’s sure to appeal to pet lovers.
Wedgie, a slow-witted, exuberantly enthusiastic dog, and Gizmo, a conniving, Evil Genius guinea pig, share their newly blended household with Jasmine and Jackson, and their stepsib, Elliot.
Wedgie, generating a little good-natured bathroom humor, lives in the moment, savoring Gizmo poop just as much as a stolen muffin. Gizmo is a schemer in this, their second adventure, as he finds a way to acquire a drone he can ride by simply ordering it on the internet. In another plotline, Jasmine is jealous of Elliot’s trophies and is determined to get one of her own by winning a school pet contest with Wedgie. Pinkie, a pig that’s just moved in, presents some competition, especially since Wedgie isn’t much of a thinker and Pinkie knows plenty of tricks. Although Gizmo’s thwarted in his scheme to shrink Wedgie and Pinkie in the dryer, the arrival of his drone offers new opportunities. Only Abuela, Jasmine and Jackson’s elderly grandmother from Peru, is on to Gizmo’s schemes, and she proves to be an enabler, bringing the drone to the pet contest so that Gizmo can create the havoc he aspires to, with Wedgie saving the day. The brief text is liberally sprinkled with Fisinger’s lively illustrations, which depict this blended family as an interracial one.
A silly and fast-paced adventure that’s sure to appeal to pet lovers. (Fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: April 17, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-244765-4
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2018
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look...
Winning actually isn’t everything, as jazz-happy Rooster learns when he goes up against the legendary likes of Mules Davis and Ella Finchgerald at the barnyard talent show.
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look good—particularly after his “ ‘Hen from Ipanema’ [makes] / the barnyard chickies swoon.”—but in the end the competition is just too stiff. No matter: A compliment from cool Mules and the conviction that he still has the world’s best band soon puts the strut back in his stride. Alexander’s versifying isn’t always in tune (“So, he went to see his cousin, / a pianist of great fame…”), and despite his moniker Rooster plays an electric bass in Bower’s canted country scenes. Children are unlikely to get most of the jokes liberally sprinkled through the text, of course, so the adults sharing it with them should be ready to consult the backmatter, which consists of closing notes on jazz’s instruments, history and best-known musicians.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-58536-688-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
A dramatic, educational, authentic whale of a tale.
After a tsunami devastates their habitat in the Salish Sea, a young orca and her brother embark on a remarkable adventure.
Vega’s matriarchal family expects her to become a hunter and wayfinder, with her younger brother, Deneb, protecting and supporting her. Invited to guide her family to their Gathering Place to hunt salmon, Vega’s underwater miscalculations endanger them all, and an embarrassed Vega questions whether she should be a wayfinder. When the baby sister she hoped would become her life companion is stillborn, a distraught Vega carries the baby away to a special resting place, shocking her grieving family. Dispatched to find his missing sister, Deneb locates Vega in the midst of a terrible tsunami. To escape the waters polluted by shattered boats, Vega leads Deneb into unfamiliar open sea. Alone and hungry, the young siblings encounter a spectacular giant whale and travel briefly with shark-hunting orcas. Trusting her instincts and gaining emotional strength from contemplating the vastness of the sky, Vega knows she must lead her brother home and help save her surviving family. In alternating first-person voices, Vega and Deneb tell their harrowing story, engaging young readers while educating them about the marine ecosystem. Realistic black-and-white illustrations enhance the maritime setting.
A dramatic, educational, authentic whale of a tale. (maps, wildlife facts, tribes of the Salish Sea watershed, environmental and geographical information, how to help orcas, author’s note, artist’s note, resources) (Animal fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-299592-6
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
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