Feline siblings Harry and Emily help their mother celebrate her special day in this sixth entry in the Harry and Emily Adventure series by Ruelle (Easy as Apple Pie, 2002, etc.). The mid-level easy reader text is divided into four chapters, with Ruelle’s naive drawings in a variety of formats adding their own understated charm. The kittens talk over Mother’s Day with both their mom and their dad, discuss what presents they could create, and decide on home-grown flowers and a home-cooked breakfast in bed as their gifts. They plant flower seeds for their mom, and when the big day arrives, they make lumpy marshmallow-and-peanut-butter pancakes to serve alongside their budding marigolds and a homemade card. Little sister Emily leaps on the bed, spilling everything, but her mom reassures her that, just as her own mother always said, a mother’s best Mother’s Day gifts are her own children. This sentimental though heart-felt conclusion is likely to appeal more to adults than children, but the earnest endeavors of the charming kittens are still engaging. The story also subtly reinforces some curriculum objectives through the details of several processes: planning for a family holiday, growing seeds, time sequences, gathering ingredients for a recipe, and cooking. Harry and Emily have quite a few more holidays to explore, and this publisher in particular seems likely to extend the franchise. (Easy reader. 5-8)
Pub Date: March 15, 2003
ISBN: 0-8234-1773-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2003
Only for dedicated fans of the series.
When a kid gets the part of the ninja master in the school play, it finally seems to be the right time to tackle the closet monster.
“I spot my monster right away. / He’s practicing his ROAR. / He almost scares me half to death, / but I won’t be scared anymore!” The monster is a large, fluffy poison-green beast with blue hands and feet and face and a fluffy blue-and-green–striped tail. The kid employs a “bag of tricks” to try to catch the monster: in it are a giant wind-up shark, two cans of silly string, and an elaborate cage-and-robot trap. This last works, but with an unexpected result: the monster looks sad. Turns out he was only scaring the boy to wake him up so they could be friends. The monster greets the boy in the usual monster way: he “rips a massive FART!!” that smells like strawberries and lime, and then they go to the monster’s house to meet his parents and play. The final two spreads show the duo getting ready for bed, which is a rather anticlimactic end to what has otherwise been a rambunctious tale. Elkerton’s bright illustrations have a TV-cartoon aesthetic, and his playful beast is never scary. The narrator is depicted with black eyes and hair and pale skin. Wallace’s limping verses are uninspired at best, and the scansion and meter are frequently off.
Only for dedicated fans of the series. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-4894-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Give this child’s-eye view of a day at the beach with an attentive father high marks for coziness: “When your ball blows across the sand and into the ocean and starts to drift away, your daddy could say, Didn’t I tell you not to play too close to the waves? But he doesn’t. He wades out into the cold water. And he brings your ball back to the beach and plays roll and catch with you.” Alley depicts a moppet and her relaxed-looking dad (to all appearances a single parent) in informally drawn beach and domestic settings: playing together, snuggling up on the sofa and finally hugging each other goodnight. The third-person voice is a bit distancing, but it makes the togetherness less treacly, and Dad’s mix of love and competence is less insulting, to parents and children both, than Douglas Wood’s What Dads Can’t Do (2000), illus by Doug Cushman. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: May 23, 2005
ISBN: 0-618-00361-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2005
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