Brilliant fun.
As it plays hide-and-seek on the veldt with its admired big brother, a young giraffe gains confidence in its own abilities.
The text admirably offers no gender to the younger sibling; unfortunately, the jacket gives it female pronouns—perhaps because the female author has mentioned admiring her own big brother. This discrepancy aside, the author/illustrator has created another excellent picture book, beginning with the winsome cover art and its clearly expressed sibling affection. At the story’s beginning, it is the big brother’s turn to hide in the twosome’s game of hide-and-seek. The little giraffe—eyes properly closed—counts to 10 and then asks other kinds of animals to help it find its brother. A pleasant litany is established as the giraffe gives each group a different brotherly trait to help in the tracking, and the animals respond that the little giraffe possesses the same trait. The little giraffe, in turn, always says that its big brother is superior in whatever trait is mentioned. For example, when a trotting group of warthogs says the giraffe is fast, its answer is, “Not as fast as my brother!” Meanwhile, astute readers will notice the stealthy appearance of a leopard creeping around nearly every page, adding some pint-sized tension. The ending is a humorous, satisfying surprise. Magical, aesthetically appealing watercolor art ensures that each type of gently anthropomorphized animal is clearly defined specieswise.
Brilliant fun. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 23, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-425-29060-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
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BOOK REVIEW
Perfect for every underdog who wants to have a say.
A dog-loving child encourages a less-than-enthusiastic younger one to imagine they’re both canines.
From the first declaration—“I’d be a big dog! And you’d be a little one!”—readers know who’s calling the shots. Initially, the protagonists cavort off the page and through the neighborhood together, performing doggy capers such as tail wagging, stick carrying, and dirt digging. But by the time they encounter a multitude of like-minded creatures at the dog park, the disgruntled small pup is exhibiting out-and-out rebellion: “Being a dog is YOUR idea! Sometimes I HAVE IDEAS TOO!” The narrative wraps up with the younger child pretending to be a different animal entirely—cleverly foreshadowed through subtle details in the illustrations. Even the endpapers—lively silhouettes of dogs in the beginning and many different animals in closing—extend the theme to suggest the imaginative possibilities of pretend play. Cheerful, lightly hued colors fit the whimsical mood, while expressive body language allows the art to tell the story with a minimum of words. Ending on a surprising note, with a sweet compromise between the two main characters, the tale gives both kids the freedom to embrace their own preferences and styles—while still enjoying their game.
Perfect for every underdog who wants to have a say. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2025
ISBN: 9780316581721
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2025
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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