Arnold’s cartoon figures seem to explode across the pages with even more pop-eyed frenzy than usual in this rendition of the traditional camp song. Having done “very informal research,” he gives himself license to add some original lyrics, sending young Catalina, et al., dancing from basinet—“She had two holes in the bottom of her nose—One for her fingers . . . and one for her toes”—to wedding limo, with doting parents, friends, relatives, and a bemused beau swirling in her wake. He closes with a swatch of music, plus a list of variant monikers for the eponymous lass he’s encountered along the way. Like the recent remake of Alan Sherman’s Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah, illustrated by Jack E. Davis (p. 401), impossible to read without bursting into song—and maybe adding a few improvised lines. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: July 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-590-10994-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Whenever a young black boy makes a mess, his mother threatens to take him to Mrs. Cole's ramshackle house. One day, disinclined to do his chores, he runs away and ends up (after some trepidation) at the dreaded neighbor's—where he finds a cheery, red-cheeked matron in a Mick Jagger apron, a gaggle of friendly children, and a household nearly buried under clutter. He gets such a hearty welcome that thereafter his mother's threat has become a reward—``If you're good, you can go and play at Mrs. Cole's.'' Foreman darkens his frequently fiery colors to reflect the ominous drift of the boy's imaginings; for more fastidious readers, the reality may seem like a nightmare—and an unsanitary one, at that. This decidedly minor effort was originally published in Great Britain (and briefly available here in 1986); the language has been Americanized for those who can't figure out what a ``telly'' or a ``pram'' is. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-916291-39-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kane Miller
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
Deviating from traditional retellings of “The Three Little Pigs,” James, Marvin and Lester Pygg build one brick house together at the start of this lively, accessible fractured tale. Marvin and Lester, cleverly depicted reading a copy of the traditional book, suggest building with straw or sticks, but James insists on sturdy bricks to safeguard against hungry wolves. When Wilfong the wolf shows up, he huffs and puffs, but the Pyggs don’t let him in—and in a twist, he doesn’t let them out. Stubborn and hungry, he spies on the Pyggs, soon growing fond of them and of the food they compassionately share. After being slowly reformed and welcomed into the Pyggs’ friendship, Wilfong cooks a vegetarian pot pie (not a lupine pie, as the title suggests) and serves it to a “bunch of big bad wolves” lurking outside. Fooled, they agree to leave as long as they get his recipe. Callen’s humorous, vibrant multimedia art deftly matches the tone of Seabrooke’s amusing tale, resulting in a winning collaboration for independent readers ready to move on to meatier texts. (Early reader. 6-8)
Pub Date: June 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-547-04403-3
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2010
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