As they say, be careful what you wish for…
No one wants a relative to stand out too much, especially for the wrong reasons. A young girl hopes her beloved grandmother—who just happens to be a witch—would learn to be more conventional. Corderoy sets a conversational pace to help readers sympathize with the main character’s plight: “My granny’s kind of different…” What follows are spreads dominated by pinks and purples that capture the peculiar occurrences that whirl around Granny wherever she goes. The rhyming text describes Granny cooking “icky soup” full of “slime and sludge and bits of froggy-poop” and driving a “crazy car” with “no roof or seats or wheels…most bizarre!” But often the text only hints at a situation gone awry, and it is Berger’s hilarious digital illustrations that will have readers giggling here and squealing there. At one point the girl convinces Granny to give being “normalish” a try. The makeover initially seems a success, “but something wasn’t right. She seemed like someone else’s granny, strolling home that night.” When Granny ends up in bed bored and sad, the girl soon realizes that grandmother’s witchy ways should be celebrated instead of changed.
Nestled among the burping bats and mischievous frogs, a lesson on appreciating differences is charmingly presented. Let this tale work its magic throughout the year. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 10, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7636-5904-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: July 18, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
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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 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
Categories: CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY
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BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too.
Norman, a “perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Percival (The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. Black-and-white illustrations show his father with dark skin and hair and his mother as white. The contrast of black-and-white illustrations with splashes of bright color complements the story’s theme. While Norman tries to be “normal,” the world and people around him look black and gray, but his coat stands out in yellow. Birds pop from the page in pink, green, and blue, emphasizing the joy and beauty of flying free. The final spread, full of bright color and multiracial children in flight, sets the mood for Norman’s realization on the last page that there is “no such thing as perfectly normal,” but he can be “perfectly Norman.”
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-785-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 4, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
Categories: CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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