Droll humor, an unusual design, and an appealing main character add up to a funny addition to the canon of canines adjusting...
A pampered Chihuahua gradually realizes its owners are preparing for an impending arrival in the family.
Little Louie enjoys a pleasant, predictable life with Mom and Dad, who are white, as they meet the pup’s every need. Louie eats at the table with them, sleeps in their bed, and enjoys being at the center of their attention. Things begin to change with the visits of friends with babies, and then Mom begins to grow visibly larger in the belly region. New purchases are made, with matching sets of each item, such as little beds, sweaters, and hats. When Louie spies a double stroller, the conclusion seems inevitable: twins must be on the way. After an unsuccessful attempt at running away, Louie is pleased to meet just one new “baby brother.” In the final scene, Louie and the baby are shown together in the stroller wearing matching hats and sweaters. Fluid, line-and-color illustrations in pencil and watercolor use a sophisticated palette of gray or white backgrounds with minimal color accents. An extra-large trim size allows for a pleasing variety of illustration perspectives, including two huge, double-page spreads with laugh-out-loud views of Louie being kicked by the then–in utero baby and imagining the arrival of twins. Fucile’s background as a feature film animator is evident in the comedic pacing and polished, understated composition of scenic constructions.
Droll humor, an unusual design, and an appealing main character add up to a funny addition to the canon of canines adjusting to new babies. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7636-5828-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Making friends isn’t always this easy and convenient.
How do you make a new friend when an old one moves away?
Buddy (from Sorry, Grown-Ups, You Can’t Go to School, 2019, etc.) is feeling lonely. His best friend just moved across town. To make matters worse, there is a field trip coming up, and Buddy needs a bus partner. His sister, Lady, has some helpful advice for making a new pal: “You just need to find something you have in common.” Buddy loves the game Robo Chargers and karate. Surely there is someone else who does, too! Unfortunately, there isn’t. However, when a new student arrives (one day later) and asks everyone to call her Sunny instead of Alison, Buddy gets excited. No one uses his given name, either; they just call him Buddy. He secretly whispers his “real, official name” to Sunny at lunch—an indication that a true friendship is being formed. The rest of the story plods merrily along, all pieces falling exactly into place (she even likes Robo Chargers!), accompanied by Bowers’ digital art, a mix of spot art and full-bleed illustrations. Friendship-building can be an emotionally charged event in a child’s life—young readers will certainly see themselves in Buddy’s plight—but, alas, there is not much storytelling magic to be found. Buddy and his family are White, Sunny and Mr. Teacher are Black, and Buddy’s other classmates are racially diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Making friends isn’t always this easy and convenient. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: July 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-30709-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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