Painterly figures against plenty of white space—and those gorgeous, red cherries—invite readers into their own fruit-fueled...
A mother gives her two unnamed children five cherries each—they won’t last long. Or will they?
The children are identical—white with dark, straight hair in bowl cuts, both wearing black-and-white–striped tops and black pants—except for the ribbons tied around their outsized heads (one red, one blue) and their shoes (black Mary Janes and white sneakers, respectively), so smudgily painted many readers will miss them. As they play, they shed both ribbons and shoes, becoming nigh indistinguishable. At first they are very different in attitude, though. One complains, “What am I gonna do with only 5 cherries?” The other celebrates: “I’m gonna do a ton of things with these 5 cherries.” Though the blue-ribboned child declares, “I’m gonna eat them all at once,” while stuffing them in, there’s a lot more playing than eating going on. Readers will wonder whether Mom, off-page, supplies more, or perhaps the children pick them for themselves, as the cherries seem not to run out, at least not permanently, and they take a lot of punishment. The fruits are used as pretend medals, ammunition in toy cannon, pie filling, and—in a perfectly childlike moment—tiny pretend breasts, among other deployments. The children move beyond stereotypical gendered play to creative endeavors, harmoniously cooperative in their absorption.
Painterly figures against plenty of white space—and those gorgeous, red cherries—invite readers into their own fruit-fueled fantasies. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 14, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-59270-222-0
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books
Review Posted Online: April 30, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2017
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
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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
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