In a bit of role reversal, a young dragon happens upon a small “Benjamin” in the woods and brings him home to show the parents. Though the new “pet” is strangely averse to the offered dinner of stinky fish and worms, and at school the next day turns out to have neither scales nor tail, he does teach the whole dragon class a wonderful new game called “soccer.” Seeing that he’s lonely, though, the narrator at last flies him back to the land of the Benjamins—and returns bemused at how excited all the other Benjamins became at the appearance of a dragon. In cartoon illustrations, Millward places the human lad amidst big, lumpish, un-scary-looking dragons with tiny wings, then closes with a scene showing how exciting soccer practice can be when the players breathe fire. A big die-cut hole through the front cover kicks this import’s appeal up even further. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-59990-190-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2007
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Pooh might describe this 1925 offering from Milne as a Very Small Tale, and so it is, but gentle and sweet withal. Princess Daffodil is the only daughter after six sons of the king and queen, and at her christening the Fairy Mumruffin grants her the gift of flowers, which will grow wherever she steps. When the princess begins toddling about the king’s favorite thinking place, strewing flowers everywhere, the king decides she must keep off the paths entirely. After a few years of this, the doctor pronounces that she must do what little girls do: “She must run about more. She must climb hills and roll down them. She must hope and skip and jump.” So the queen finds a solution in a small hill, where Daffodil can do all those things to her heart’s content, and where children play and pick the posies she makes there. Brown, who remembered the story from her own mother’s telling, who remembered it from her mother, has created delicate and winsome illustrations that are also precise: the various species of flowers are easily identifiable. Children will be charmed by the little doll-like faces of the characters and the excellent fairy colors, pastel-colored to jewel-toned as needed. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-525-46147-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
In a spirited book, Camp grabs the notion of a child’s endless inquisitiveness and takes it for a quick spin. Lily, a little charmer that Ross has drawn as an explosion of red hair, drives her father crazy with her question. Why does the breakfast egg need one more minute? Why must they not forget to pick up garbage bags at the store? Why are there rain clouds? One day, just as her father shows signs that his limit has been exceeded, a giant Thargon spaceship appears at the playground and threatens to annihilate Earth. Lily poses a “Why?” or two, and the Thargons return home for the answers, leaving Earth intact. Lily’s questioning saves the day, but it’s no joke; the urge to understand, for her and children like her, is a survival instinct. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: June 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-399-23396-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
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