A pleasantly illustrated, quiet story that animal lovers will especially enjoy.
Two siblings worry over the fate of a little goat in Roam’s (A Remnant Surprise, 2011) picture-book sequel.
Walter and Gretchen, who live on a farm and starred in Roam’s previous book, are thrilled at the birth of new goat kids. But although the female kid is quick to get to her feet, the male kid stumbles and falls over. The children’s father promises to work with the weak-legged goat, with the aim of preparing him for an eventual job as a trail helper for hiking-business owner Mr. Coleman. But a weak goat has no place in that business, nor does he have any place on Walter and Gretchen’s farm. The children grow attached to the little animal, which they call Tippy Tip, and they pray for him to grow. Their father works with the goat diligently, but when the day comes to sell the goats to Mr. Coleman, Tippy Tip still isn’t strong enough. Meanwhile, the children’s friend Mitchell has worked all summer to earn money to buy his own puppy, but discovers that he’s allergic to dogs. He spends a day with Walter and Gretchen, and as they play at the farm, swinging from a rope swing into hay bales, his worries disappear. When he connects with Tippy Tip, the children find the ideal solution to their problem. Roam ably captures the children’s emotions, and young audiences will share their concern for the fate of the small goat and cheer when Tippy Tip and Mitchell find each other. The text is simple enough for lapsitters or newly independent readers, and Taboada’s illustrations beautifully convey the children’s worry and joy. The inclusion of the Native American guide, Mr. Coleman, helps to diversify the small cast.
A pleasantly illustrated, quiet story that animal lovers will especially enjoy.Pub Date: March 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-1629947082
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Tate Publishing
Review Posted Online: April 2, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The seemingly ageless Seeger brings back his renowned giant for another go in a tuneful tale that, like the art, is a bit sketchy, but chockful of worthy messages. Faced with yearly floods and droughts since they’ve cut down all their trees, the townsfolk decide to build a dam—but the project is stymied by a boulder that is too huge to move. Call on Abiyoyo, suggests the granddaughter of the man with the magic wand, then just “Zoop Zoop” him away again. But the rock that Abiyoyo obligingly flings aside smashes the wand. How to avoid Abiyoyo’s destruction now? Sing the monster to sleep, then make it a peaceful, tree-planting member of the community, of course. Seeger sums it up in a postscript: “every community must learn to manage its giants.” Hays, who illustrated the original (1986), creates colorful, if unfinished-looking, scenes featuring a notably multicultural human cast and a towering Cubist fantasy of a giant. The song, based on a Xhosa lullaby, still has that hard-to-resist sing-along potential, and the themes of waging peace, collective action, and the benefits of sound ecological practices are presented in ways that children will both appreciate and enjoy. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83271-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001
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