A delicious tale, dipped in great imagery.
French-fry protagonist Spud Russet returns in Dooley-Panko’s picture-book sequel.
In his last adventure, Spud became “one of the first fries to ever dip into aioli,” but now that he’s famous, he feels like something’s lacking in his life. He misses his home, but, more than that, he misses the ranch there—ranch dressing, that is. After donning a cowboy hat and a red bandana, Spud ventures out to reunite with his family. Mom, Dad, and his sister, Tater Tot, are overjoyed to see him. They missed him—and, Mom points out, the ranch missed him, too. An overjoyed Spud takes a flying leap into a bowl of ranch dip: “The chill wrapped around him like an old blanket. The herbs whispered, ‘Welcome home.’” Although he still loves aioli, he realizes he doesn’t have to choose between the two condiments—and likewise, he doesn’t have to choose between having adventures and coming back home. As with any story about sentient food, young readers probably shouldn’t think too hard about unanswered questions (for example, is someone going to eat Spud?). But although the story’s a bit thin on plot, it’s wonderfully fun, and funny, throughout. Shobaru’s illustrations are the perfect complement to the lighthearted story: They’re simple, with clean lines, and the entire family of potato products have wonderfully expressive faces.
A delicious tale, dipped in great imagery.Pub Date: Jan. 21, 2026
ISBN: 9798277517574
Page Count: 28
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: today
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
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