Amelia Bedelia may come to mind, but Mrs. Jolly Bones’ unconventional behavior reflects her originality and flair rather...
Mrs. Jolly Bones has a chore for every day of the week…but readers can be sure they’ve never done chores quite the way she does.
“It’s Monday, Mrs. Jolly Bones. / There’s laundry to be done. // So gather up the dirty clothes / and sort them, one by one. // Wash them, / dry them, / iron them, / and fold them nice and neat. / Then fling them out the window… // so they brighten up the street!” Tuesday is gardening day—Mrs. Jolly Bones takes care of her balcony garden…and then “polka[s] through the posy patch” with brio. Cleaning the house is on the docket for Wednesday, finishing with a bath in a most unusual place. Thursday’s shopping day—quite a list!—while Friday is for baking. Saturday’s for play, er wrestling, and Sunday is a day to rest. Tusa’s watercolor-and-ink illustrations are largely grayscale with splashes of pastel-colored highlights. While Mrs. Jolly Bones’ approach calls for energetic illustration, the busy spreads are perhaps too chaotic, and small things get lost on the pages. This is a shame, as the small things add so much delight: Mrs. Jolly Bones has a menagerie of animals that surround/help her.
Amelia Bedelia may come to mind, but Mrs. Jolly Bones’ unconventional behavior reflects her originality and flair rather than a lack of intelligence; would that more people flaunt their individuality…but maybe not in the toilet. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 19, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4424-1229-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 15, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A little boy’s room gets an energetic makeover from two Deaf painters. Colin’s bedroom is “very nice,” except for one problem. Its “hideous yellow” walls makes him feel like he’s “sleeping in an egg yolk!” His mom uses a message relay for the Deaf to make an appointment with painters Heather and Molly, who cheerily set to repainting the walls navy blue. At the end of the day, all that’s left to do is paint the white trim, which Molly and Heather do, “paint[ing] and chat[ting] and chat[ting] and paint[ing] furiously.” Of course, they are chatting in American Sign Language, so when Colin and his mom inspect the work, the navy-blue walls are speckled all over with white paint droplets. All’s well that ends well: Colin’s thrilled with the look, and his mom pays “Heather and Molly a heap of dollars for the creative job.” This purposive story has much to recommend it. It folds in details of hearing-Deaf communication naturally, and Crawford’s multimedia collages burst with energy and color. Heather’s hair is spiky and multicolored; Molly wears groovy purple-laced work shoes; Colin’s mom sports fuzzy moose slippers with antlers. But it’s hard to imagine professional painters forgetting themselves to the point of potentially ruining a job—most of their clients will hardly be so forgiving. It’s surely not intended, but this book ends up painting its Deaf characters as rather incompetent—a shame. (ASL picture glossary) (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: April 22, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-897187-88-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Second Story Press
Review Posted Online: April 3, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2011
Red Knit Cap Girl wants to talk to the moon, even throwing a party for her, but only when the lights go out and quiet falls does it appear.
The big-booted, mushroom-headed girl’s bulbous silhouette, mute, mouth-less face and dotted eyes feel familiar, even though her proportions look downright strange. A crimson hat and smart jacket pop against shadowed woodlands, friendly and bright. Animal buddies (Rabbit, Bear, Squirrel and Hedgehog) help with her moon-chat mission, their kind beady eyes shining and stubby bodies playful. When Red Knit Cap Girl approaches a mystic night owl who might know how to draw the moon into a conversation, readers will bristle with interest. The owl, his eyes like embers, says enigmatically, “You will find a way.” A plywood canvas creates a fantastically pliant, otherworldly atmosphere that undulates with shifting perspectives, horizons, dimensions—even surfaces. Once painted, the wood’s grain assumes the look of clouds, sand, water, grass, mist, creating a bewitching forest that feels at times magical and others spooky. Nocturnal hues (dusky yellows and reds, darkening greens and ultimately a blackening blue) transport readers to nightfall and the moon’s imminent arrival. Young readers might pleasantly puzzle over the moon’s need for dark and silence, for peace, in order to show herself and whisper with Red Knit Cap Girl.
A gentle Zen-like parable, with visual and narrative intrigue. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: June 15, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-316-12946-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2012
© Copyright 2026 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.
