Neither realism nor fantasy, this dismal series opener is marred by clichéd characters and a plot evidently unaware of its...
Returning home from a family camping trip, Olive, 8, discovers a stowaway: Forest, the wild boy she met living in the woods. Now she’s got just 24 hours to civilize him sufficiently to satisfy Gam Gam, her grandmother.
Forest, about Olive’s age, wears ragged, muddy clothes. He’s learned his Tarzan-like human speech from campers but also speaks to squirrels, birds, and the family dog, Bailey. Olive’s dad is willing to take Forest in, but her older brother, Ryan, 10, objects, especially after Forest sprays him with the garden hose, breaks the TV trying to rescue the opossums onscreen, and destroys the family’s dinner. If he’s to stay, Forest must pass muster with Gam Gam, a stickler for etiquette, when she arrives tomorrow for her birthday dinner (why her approval’s required is unclear). Seeking to subvert Olive’s plans, Ryan encourages Forest to further acts of mayhem and dresses him in a towel cape but no shirt for the dinner. Only ragged clothes and messy hair distinguish Forest from Olive and her white family, their features appearing identical, even clonelike in the cartoonish art. Olive’s absent mom and Forest’s origins go unexplored, which allows the wild-child premise to be played strictly for laughs but leaves an unsavory residue of subtext, suggesting poverty, homelessness, and family disruption. Perhaps more will be explained in Book 2.
Neither realism nor fantasy, this dismal series opener is marred by clichéd characters and a plot evidently unaware of its darker implications. (Fiction. 5-7)Pub Date: April 18, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-10383-3
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Imprint
Review Posted Online: Jan. 31, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017
Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind.
The cool beans again step up to do a timorous fellow legume a fava…this time at the pool.
Will a rash decision to tackle the multistory super-slide lead to another embarrassing watery fail for our shy protagonist? Nope, for up the stairs right behind comes a trio of cool beans, each a different type and color, all clad in nothing but dark shades. They make an offer: “It’s not as scary if you go with friends!” As the knobby nerd explains once the thrilling ride down is done, “They all realized that I just needed some encouragement and support.” Just to make sure that both cool and uncool readers get the message, the narrator lets us know that “there are plenty of kind folks who have my back. They’re always there when I need them.” The beany bonhomie doesn’t end at the bottom of the slide, with all gliding down to the shallow end of the pool (“3 INCHES. NO DIVING”) for a splashy finale. This latest early reader starring characters from John and Oswald’s immensely popular Food Group series will be a hit with fans. Fun accessories, such as a bean who rocks pink cat-eye frames, add some pizzazz to the chromatically and somatotypically varied cast.
Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind. (Easy reader. 5-7)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9780063329560
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
Totes adorbs.
A cuddly, squishy pug’s puggy-wuggy diary.
Equipped with both #pugunicorn and #pughotdog outfits, pug Baron von Bubbles (aka Bub) is the kind of dog that always dresses to impress. Bub also makes lots of memorable faces, such as the “Hey, you’re not the boss of me!” expression aimed at Duchess, the snooty pink house cat. Some of Bub’s favorite things include skateboarding, a favorite teddy, and eating peanut butter. Bub also loves Bella, who adopted Bub from a fair—it was “love at first sniff.” Together, Bub and Bella do a lot of arts and crafts. Their latest project: entering Bella’s school’s inventor challenge by making a super-duper awesome rocket. But, when the pesky neighborhood squirrel, Nutz, makes off with Bub’s bear, Bub accidentally ruins their project. How will they win the contest? More importantly, how will Bella ever forgive him? May’s cutesy, full-color cartoon art sets the tone for this pug-tastic romp for the new-to–chapter-books crowd. Emojilike faces accentuate Bub’s already expressive character design. Bub’s infectious first-person narration pushes the silly factor off the charts. In addition to creating the look and feel of a diary, the lined paper helps readers follow the eight-chapter story. Most pages have fewer than five sentences, often broken into smaller sections. Additional text appears in color-coded speech bubbles. Bella presents white.
Totes adorbs. (Fiction. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-53003-2
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
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