Violent and menacing imagery darken this sardonic tale, originally published in France. The animals, naked and freezing because human thieves have stolen their fur, have decided upon vigilante justice and set out to get back their pelts. In an effort to help Big Bad Wolf, their friend, Panda and Koala go on a rampage, robbing the fur-wearing denizens of the big city. Pouncing on an elderly woman, Panda yells “Freeze, you rabbit, mink, or wolf skin thief! That fur is ours!” Koala is shown pointing a gun at the woman, albeit a toy one. More disturbing is the early portrayal of Panda and Koala as they pledge to rescue Wolf’s fur: Koala totes a rifle under each arm while Panda brandishes two pistols with ammunition belts crisscrossed over his torso. Although adults will appreciate the satire, and the irony of such gentle creatures attired as commandoes, children will only see a message of violence: Guns are glorified and that in this case, the end justifies the means. (Picture book. 6-9)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-385-32636-X
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1998
The wriggly narrator of Diary of a Worm (2003) puts in occasional appearances, but it’s his arachnid buddy who takes center stage here, with terse, tongue-in-cheek comments on his likes (his close friend Fly, Charlotte’s Web), his dislikes (vacuums, people with big feet), nervous encounters with a huge Daddy Longlegs, his extended family—which includes a Grandpa more than willing to share hard-won wisdom (The secret to a long, happy life: “Never fall asleep in a shoe.”)—and mishaps both at spider school and on the human playground. Bliss endows his garden-dwellers with faces and the odd hat or other accessory, and creates cozy webs or burrows colorfully decorated with corks, scraps, plastic toys and other human detritus. Spider closes with the notion that we could all get along, “just like me and Fly,” if we but got to know one another. Once again, brilliantly hilarious. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-06-000153-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Joanna Cotler/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2005
Rylant (Henry and Mudge and the Sneaky Crackers, 1998, etc.) slips into a sentimental mode for this latest outing of the boy and his dog, as she sends Mudge and Henry and his parents off on a camping trip. Each character is attended to, each personality sketched in a few brief words: Henry's mother is the camping veteran with outdoor savvy; Henry's father doesn't know a tent stake from a marshmallow fork, but he's got a guitar for campfire entertainment; and the principals are their usual ready-for-fun selves. There are sappy moments, e.g., after an evening of star- gazing, Rylant sends the family off to bed with: ``Everyone slept safe and sound and there were no bears, no scares. Just the clean smell of trees . . . and wonderful green dreams.'' With its nice tempo, the story is as toasty as its campfire and swaddled in Stevenson's trusty artwork. (Fiction. 6-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-689-81175-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1998
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