Unless you’ve got a porcupine who needs it, hand this to the trained and not the trainees.
The long and short of a pointy potty predicament, from a New Yorker cartoonist and debut picture-book creator.
Readers undisturbed by the image of bright yellow urine dripping from porcupine quills will probably be the best possible audience for this entry into the potty-training genre. A pair of children (they are biracial, with a black dad and white mom) take it upon themselves to housetrain their new porcupine pet. She can’t be diapered, the cat box is a nonstarter, the backyard is too public, and spreading newspapers is a bust. Could potty training be the answer? Alas, this porcupine is reticent to even attempt the job, thus leading the children to try every conceivable method of trickery and persuasion. In the end, the easiest solution (asking nicely) turns out to be the best—and the most anticlimactic. Title notwithstanding, this isn’t a guide for teaching tots the ins and outs of toilet training but rather a humorous descent into absurdity with a scatological edge best appreciated by those who have fairly recently conquered the potty or who are watching younger siblings master the feat. The porcupine herself is charming, and Toro’s visual gags and silly watercolors mostly make up for the flat ending. At best, droll, at worst, kind of gross.
Unless you’ve got a porcupine who needs it, hand this to the trained and not the trainees. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 12, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-316-49539-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Young listeners of all stripes (and species) will enjoy this warmhearted celebration of literacy and imagination.
An enthusiastic reader teaches his two cats to appreciate books, though it takes extra effort to interest one of them in the endeavor.
Nick is a round-headed, early-elementary-sized, brown-skinned child with a fluff of curly hair and two cats, Verne and Stevenson. All three enjoy frolicking together, but when Nick wants to read, one cat ignores him, and the other sprawls on the volume open in his lap (a habit that will be familiar to cat lovers of all ages). The latter, Verne, a small cat with orange-and-brown stripes and a cheerful disposition, is amenable to Nick’s instruction. “But not Stevenson,” who frowns, runs away, and even hisses. When Nick and Verne discover Stevenson’s fascination with pirates, however, they have the hook they need. Nick’s efforts are both logical and methodical, and once he has achieved his goal, he and his feline friends find ways to incorporate their favorite stories into all kinds of imaginative play. Manley’s conversational text flows smoothly and has a matter-of-fact tone that grounds the fantastical elements. Berube’s charmingly childlike art, created in ink, Flashe paint, and acrylic paint, captures the cats’ personalities perfectly and creates a cozy, everyday world with just enough amusing details to reward repeat readings.
Young listeners of all stripes (and species) will enjoy this warmhearted celebration of literacy and imagination. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-3569-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends.
Is it a stormy-night scare or a bedtime book? Both!
Little Blue Truck and his good friend Toad are heading home when a storm lets loose. Before long, their familiar, now very nervous barnyard friends (Goat, Hen, Goose, Cow, Duck, and Pig) squeeze into the garage. Blue explains that “clouds bump and tumble in the sky, / but here inside we’re warm and dry, / and all the thirsty plants below / will get a drink to help them grow!” The friends begin to relax. “Duck said, loud as he could quack it, / ‘THUNDER’S JUST A NOISY RACKET!’ ” In the quiet after the storm, the barnyard friends are sleepy, but the garage is not their home. “ ‘Beep!’ said Blue. ‘Just hop inside. / All aboard for the bedtime ride!’ ” Young readers will settle down for their own bedtimes as Blue and Toad drop each friend at home and bid them a good night before returning to the garage and their own beds. “Blue gave one small sleepy ‘Beep.’ / Then Little Blue Truck fell fast asleep.” Joseph’s rich nighttime-blue illustrations (done “in the style of [series co-creator] Jill McElmurry”) highlight the power of the storm and capture the still serenity that follows. Little Blue Truck has been chugging along since 2008, but there seems to be plenty of gas left in the tank.
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-328-85213-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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