Richly satisfying.
In this picture book, a young city-dwelling boy wishes for a “real adventure,” like the ones his grandfather has had.
Eliot, playing on the sidewalk outside the apartment building where he lives with his mother, demonstrates a tremendous imagination. A paper sailboat in the street gutter becomes a high-seas adventure. A neighbor’s pet pug becomes a huge beast. And when Eliot’s grandfather, El Capitán, writes that he is “coming home” (signing his postcard, one of many reproduced on the front endpapers, “nos vemos pronto”), Eliot looks forward to having a real adventure. El Capitán arrives, and he and Eliot set out to find an adventure in the city. Author/illustrator Piedra’s digitally produced illustrations have the look of oils; they show a darker, muted palette as Eliot and El Capitán “stalk a paper dragon” in Chinatown and navigate a “plastic sea” (a clever double-page spread of a crowd of open umbrellas)—but Eliot, wanting a “real adventure,” asks to sail on the Hispaniola, El Capitán’s boat. But the boat, when El Capitán shows it to him, is old and damaged. Undaunted, Eliot puts his fertile imagination to work as the illustrations become more vividly hued. The ending double-page spread is joyous and brightly colored, affirming the vibrant power of the imagination. Eliot and his mother both have pale skin and dark hair and eyes; the bilingual, Spanish-speaking El Capitán has white hair and dark eyes.
Richly satisfying. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 11, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-338-13419-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Levine/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 11, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren.
In talk-show host Fallon and illustrator Ordóñez’s latest picture-book collaboration, an elderly pooch waxes rhapsodic about a life well lived.
Observing Papa sitting in his chair watching TV all day, a young pup says, “I’m starting to think…you don’t do ANYTHING.” So Papa proceeds to list his accomplishments, both big and small, mundane and profound. Some are just a result of being older and physically bigger (being tall enough to reach a high shelf and strong enough to open jars); others include winning a race and performing in a band when he was younger. Eventually, the pup realizes that while Papa may have slowed down in his old age, he’s led a full life. The most satisfying thing about Papa’s life now? Watching his grandchild take center stage: “I can say lots of thoughts / but I choose to be quiet. / I’d rather you discover things and then try it.” Fallon’s straightforward text is sweetly upbeat, though it occasionally lacks flow, forcing incongruous situations together to fit the rhyme scheme (“I cook and I mow, / and I once flew a plane. // I play newspaper puzzles because it’s good for my brain”). Featuring uncluttered, colorful backgrounds, Ordóñez’s child-friendly digital art at times takes on sepia tones, evoking the sense of looking back at old photos or memories. Though the creators tread familiar ground, the love between Papa and his little one is palpable.
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781250393975
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.
A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.
A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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