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
A syrupy tribute to mothers that may please fans of the series.
Another creature is on the loose.
The long-running series continues its successful formula with this Hallmark card of a book, which features bright illustrations and catchy rhymes. This time, the mythical creature the racially diverse children set out to catch is an absent mom who does it all (lists of descriptors include the words banker, caregiver, nurse, doctor, driver, chef, housekeeper, teacher, entertainer, playmate, laundry service, problem solver, handywoman, cleaner, and alarm clock) but doesn’t seem to have a job outside the home and is inexplicably a dinosaur. As the children prepare gifts and a meal for her, the text becomes an ode to the skills the Mamasaurus possesses (“Day or night she’s always there. / She meets every wish and need”) and values she instills (“Sometimes life can mean hard work,” “kindness matters,” and “what counts is doing your best”). This well-intentioned selection veers into cliche generously sprinkled with saccharine but manages to redeem itself with its appreciation for mothers and all that they may do. Endpapers include a “to” and “from” page framed in a heart, as well as a page where young gift givers or recipients can draw a picture of their Mamasaurus.
A syrupy tribute to mothers that may please fans of the series. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781728274300
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
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
SEEN & HEARD
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
