The story cries out for an overpowered reading, which is as likely to provoke a brawl as laughter.
A bevy of fairy-tale creatures descend on a newly minted and totally unprepared petsitter.
Young Bob, who wears a Peruvian hat and has freckled, light-brown skin, and his purple dog, Rex, live “on a nice neat hill, in a nice neat house, with neat roses.” But Bob and Rex are “very, very poor.” Since their neighborhood is overrun with pets, they decide to become petsitters. They advertise: “NO PET TOO BIG.” Mistake. With the morning comes their first customer, a little golden-haired, white girl who wants them to look after her baby bear. The bear is a complainer: someone’s been into his porridge, sat in his chair, and slept in his bed—but that’s Rex’s bed, which he breaks. “Ding Dong!” Jack’s goose needs tending, and so do the troll’s three billy goats. Mayhem ensues as Bob and Rex lose—or never gain—control over the lot when three pigs drop by to hand off “Our—um—puppy.” Or wolf, which huffs and puffs and “BLEW THE HOUSE DOWN!!!!” Bob is now homeless as well as poor. He keeps his cool, for he still has the beans. “ ‘I’ll be a gardener!’…What could possibly go wrong?” Corderoy’s thin narrative rests on an appreciation of upside-down slapstick and a knowledge of the tales, and it is fully fueled by the rumbustious illustrations.
The story cries out for an overpowered reading, which is as likely to provoke a brawl as laughter. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-68010-064-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
A self-image story about as three-dimensional as its title character.
A vaguely horse-shaped drawing goes on a vague, drawn-out journey.
Randy is a blobby, beige quadruped with wide, staring eyes and a cheerful crayon grin. Centered on a blank white page, he proclaims immediately upon his creation that he is beautiful and loved by all and that his given name must be “reserved only for the most special of creatures.” A disembodied speech-bubble conversation between the young artist and their mother extolls Randy’s skills and preferred activities, and Randy replies with varying degrees of narcissism and sarcasm, unheard by the child in the book but potentially enjoyed by a child reading it. A lunch break results in the white void Randy occupies being interrupted with photographed drops of what appear to be peanut butter and strawberry jam, leading into an “adventure” through construction-paper obstacles, popsicle-stick forests, and a run-in with the book’s gutter. The journey ends anticlimactically at a pool of water, wherein Randy discovers his reflection, which reveals him to be without long, elegant legs, a gorgeous mane, or glossy coat. After the brief existential crisis this triggers, the child’s proclamation that “I love Randy, my beautiful horse,” soothes Randy into acceptance of his appearance. Endpapers feature an “in-depth and comprehensive guide” for how to draw a horse, featuring a Victorian illustration as the final step (scribbled out on the rear endpapers).
A self-image story about as three-dimensional as its title character. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-18590-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Godwin Books
Review Posted Online: June 2, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A gratifying story of loving and letting go.
A boy, a star, a Martian, and a penguin all return for a tale of games gone awry.
Jeffers reintroduces his droll hero, who appeared in his previous picture books Lost and Found (2006), How To Catch a Star (2004), The Way Back Home (2008), and Up and Down (2010). The boy loves playing games of hide-and-seek with two of his friends, a penguin and a star. The star isn’t adept at hiding, while the penguin is overly fond of the same hiding spot. When the penguin accidentally gets wedged among some rocks, the boy places the star in a rowboat while attempting to dislodge the penguin. The boat immediately sets sail for the North Pole. Unable to find his missing friend, the boy enlists the aid of his Martian pal and, with the penguin in tow, they head out on a rescue mission. A rescue, that is, until they find that someone else has befriended the star. What will become of the star? Like Jeffers’ other boy-related tales, this one is distinguished by its tone; the author/illustrator excels at cultivating a rose-hued melancholy sweetness that will linger long after the book is closed. The palette of the textured watercolors changes according to location and emotion, with the firmament above appearing in a striking final black-and-white culmination.
A gratifying story of loving and letting go. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2024
ISBN: 9780593622247
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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