Pleasing art hampered by occasionally overblown storytelling and an ungainly plot twist.
A lesson in heeding the biased advice of strangers takes an unexpected turn.
Danny the hippo is indulging in an underwater tooth scrub when he overhears a conversation among the “cleaner fish” about the gap between his teeth: He must have a lisp with teeth like that. When he consults with some snakes to determine if he speaks strangely, the lisping reptiles agree that there’s something wrong. Off to the city Danny goes, where he acquires a handsome set of braces—and a brand-new lisp. He recommends the procedure to a crocodile friend, who meets with the dentist, promptly devouring him and taking his job. Now the croc is a well-established dentist, and Danny couldn’t be happier. There is much to enjoy in the easy lines and retro tone of the illustrations. Simple forms and bright colors pop off the page, lending the entire enterprise a jaunty, joyful feel. Up until the sudden plot shift to the crocodile, the story has much to say about heeding the advice of others over your own common sense. Unfortunately, the sudden interjection of the croc turns the tale from The Bear Who Wasn’t (1946) to Sweeney Todd for no particular reason.
Pleasing art hampered by occasionally overblown storytelling and an ungainly plot twist. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 14, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-909263-42-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Flying Eye Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 9, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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