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
In a cautionary tale about the perils of unbridled bibliophagy, once young Henry discovers that the more books he eats the smarter he gets, he proceeds to gorge—and not only racks up humongous library fines, but ends up with both stomach and brains aboil with undigested content. Embarrassing incidents ensue. Painting and assembling scraps into collages on a wide range of papers, from the insides of tattered dust jackets to old official forms and yellowed graph paper, Jeffers crafts exuberantly raffish illustrations featuring a round-headed lad drawn in quick cartoon style. Ultimately, Henry comes to realize that it’s more enjoyable to read books than to eat them—though, as a chewed-away corner on the rear cover of this one reveals, he’s not immune to occasional backsliding. Dish this out to eager readers, with a grain of salt, and watch them snap it up. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-399-24749-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2007
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This attempt to explain the Pledge’s meaning to younger children is at least as simplistic as it is enlightening. Using a combination of torn paper and simple, fluidly brushed strokes, Raschka (Be Boy Buzz, p. 1310, etc.) supplies a brightly colored backdrop of stylized children and adults, against which the Pledge’s words, generally one by one, are printed in large type and glossed in smaller: “God. Many people believe that a democracy is how God thinks—every single person is important.” Martin and Sampson (Tricks or Treat?, below, etc.) fill in bits of the historical background, mentioning Frances Bellamy, the Pledge’s original composer, but not that his version was very different from the present one, and closing with a dizzying recapitulation: “The flag stands for our history, our inventions, our music, sports, literature, faith . . . ” Children curious about the meaning of what so many of them are compelled to promise every morning in school will get less lyrical, but more factual, commentary from June Swanson’s I Pledge Allegiance (1990). (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-7636-1648-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2002
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