Amos Jellybean knows he’s bright (his mum says so), but he still always seems to scramble the many instructions he’s given: “So I . . . take my bed downstairs, put it on the table, sit down on my breakfast and eat my clothes.” Further communication breakdowns result in wearing his bag on his head, washing his rubber duck and ending up with a stomach-turning concoction (think pickled strudel) generated by a lunchtime bout of swapping. The mix-ups are fun and funny, but they start to wear thin towards the end. In addition, Walsh’s choppy, crazy collage artwork and design (reminiscent of Lauren Child’s) fail to maximize the humor of Amos’s rampant mangling of instructions—partly because the illustrations and layouts are so stylized it’s difficult to visualize the scenarios at hand. In the end, as the title foretells, Amos finally follows his commands to a T; he remembers to put on his pyjamas (British spellings abound), clean his teeth, choose a bedtime story and all—and the big, bold, full-page question mark that precedes the story is now an emphatic exclamation point as he proudly proclaims, “I did it!” (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-340-88222-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Hodder Children’s Books/Trafalgar
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2005
A book that will make young dog-owners smile in recognition and confirm dogless readers' worst suspicions about the mayhem caused by pets, even winsome ones. Sam, who bears passing resemblance to an affable golden retriever, is praised for fetching the family newspaper, and goes on to fetch every other newspaper on the block. In the next story, only the children love Sam's swimming; he is yelled at by lifeguards and fishermen alike when he splashes through every watering hole he can find. Finally, there is woe to the entire family when Sam is bored and lonely for one long night. Boland has an essential message, captured in both both story and illustrations of this Easy-to-Read: Kids and dogs belong together, especially when it's a fun-loving canine like Sam. An appealing tale. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-8037-1530-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1996
Sloat collaborates with Huffman, a Yu’pik storyteller, to infuse a traditional “origins” tale with the joy of creating. Hearing the old women of her village grumble that they have only tasteless crowberries for the fall feast’s akutaq—described as “Eskimo ice cream,” though the recipe at the end includes mixing in shredded fish and lard—young Anana carefully fashions three dolls, then sings and dances them to life. Away they bound, to cover the hills with cranberries, blueberries, and salmonberries. Sloat dresses her smiling figures in mixes of furs and brightly patterned garb, and sends them tumbling exuberantly through grassy tundra scenes as wildlife large and small gathers to look on. Despite obtrusively inserted pronunciations for Yu’pik words in the text, young readers will be captivated by the action, and by Anana’s infectious delight. (Picture book/folktale. 6-8)
Pub Date: June 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-88240-575-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2004
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