by Tim Beiser ; illustrated by Bill Slavin ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 6, 2017
Funny and spirited.
A long, hard rainstorm traps two anthropomorphic forest friends inside their den, testing their friendship.
A hare and a bear, longtime pals, are waiting out a summer rainstorm. Before long, the hare is getting a little squirrely; his face takes on a strained expression. Busy cooking, the bear expresses his sympathy repeatedly, always ending with a “There, there.” In a rage, the hare kicks a chair, stubs his toe, and weeps uncontrollably. The bear begins to lose his patience. When the hare complains about the moldy carrots, the bear declares that he’s “had it up to HERE!” He grabs the hare and drags him out into the rain. Getting down on all fours in the mud, he picks up an earthworm. “If you think your life is grim, / Just be glad that you’re not him,” the bear announces. “When he meets his own rear end, / He mistakes it for a friend!” The hare sits quietly and stares at the poor blind wrinkled little creature, and he thinks, “Things aren’t so bad.” He apologizes, and the bear takes his hand and walks him back home. And, miraculously, the rain has stopped. Everyone is happy…except the insulted earthworm! Beiser’s verse is substantial if a bit shaggy, and his story is a nice reminder to short-tempered children. Slavin’s bright illustrations nicely capture the expressive emotions of the two critter cronies.
Funny and spirited. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: June 6, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-77049-752-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: March 5, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2017
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by Tim Beiser & illustrated by Rachel Berman
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by Hoda Kotb ; illustrated by Chloe Dominique ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2024
Pleasant enough but not particularly original.
Uplifting messages of positivity from the Today show anchor.
Hope springs eternal, so the saying goes. Kotb agrees, here delivering to children the cheery news that hope lives inside all of them and that whatever they might wish for can be theirs. All they need is a sunny outlook, and the possibilities for happy outcomes are virtually endless. Children’s dreams can be in-the-moment ones—like purple ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry—or more far-ranging ones, such as growing tall enough to reach that high shelf easily or for hair that’s long enough to braid. It doesn’t matter, the author reassures young readers. Your aspirations will be realized, so don’t give up on them—just keep believing in them and, most of all, in yourself. Throughout, Kotb calls hope a rainbow, a feeling, a gift, and a wish. Hope is “new friends you’ll find— / friends who are loving and funny and kind.” Hope is “practicing your heart out, letter by letter.” The book’s overarching theme is upbeat, but its bouncy rhyming text is clumsy. The child-appealing illustrations are colorful and lively, though they have a generic look. The cast of wide-eyed characters is racially diverse; some have visible disabilities.
Pleasant enough but not particularly original. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9780593624128
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 16, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2024
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by Hoda Kotb ; illustrated by Suzie Mason
by Jory John ; illustrated by Pete Oswald ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 7, 2023
From curds to riches, from meltdown to uplift—this multicourse romp delivers.
A winning wheel of cheddar with braggadocio to match narrates a tale of comeuppance and redemption.
From humble beginnings among kitchen curds living “quiet lives of pasteurization,” the Big Cheese longs to be the best and builds success and renown based on proven skills and dependable results: “I stuck to the things I was good at.” When newcomer Wedge moves to the village of Curds-on-Whey, the Cheese’s star status wobbles and falls. Turns out that quiet, modest Wedge is also multitalented. At the annual Cheese-cathlon, Wedge bests six-time winner Cheese in every event, from the footrace and chess to hat making and bread buttering. A disappointed Cheese throws a full-blown tantrum before arriving at a moment of truth: Self-calming, conscious breathing permits deep relief that losing—even badly—does not result in disaster. A debrief with Wedge “that wasn’t all about me” leads to further realizations: Losing builds empathy for others; obsession with winning obscures “the joy of participating.” The chastened cheddar learns to reserve bragging for lifting up friends, because anyone can be the Big Cheese. More didactic and less pun-rich than previous entries in the Food Group series, this outing nevertheless couples a cheerful refrain with pithy life lessons that hit home. Oswald’s detailed, comical illustrations continue to provide laughs, including a spot with Cheese onstage doing a “CHED” talk.
From curds to riches, from meltdown to uplift—this multicourse romp delivers. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9780063329508
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
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