Gentle, humorous, and fun.
Young brothers Finn, Leo, and Ooley set off to find wild animals in the woods near their farmhouse.
The art—involving pencils, watercolor, wax crayons, and white ink—immediately draws readers in. Three Muppet-like boys with dark hair and beige skin comfortably share a pale-green sofa and a stack of books while birds fly above them and ghostly images of nonthreatening wild mammals surround them. Pastels and muted primary colors form a pleasing palette that continues throughout. “Every night, Finn reads a story to his brothers.” The text goes on to say that the boys enjoy stories with adventures and wild animals; middle child Leo suggests that tomorrow, the boys should go exploring for wild animals. By this time, little Ooley is already asleep, setting the stage for more toddler behaviors that will charm young readers. The text is simple, suitable for independent, transitional readers and for reading aloud. As the boys trudge through deep snow—with Ooley in his bear suit always lagging behind—readers, but not the boys, see ghostly animals in and around tree trunks. While the older brothers have a brief discussion that hints of the effects of climate change on animal populations, readers—but not Finn and Leo—will see Ooley happily sliding away down a hill. Other than brief mentions of Grandpa, no adults clutter this tale of siblings who are resourceful, creative, and kind. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10.5-by-16-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Gentle, humorous, and fun. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-77306-377-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
SEEN & HEARD
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with...
Reynolds and Brown have crafted a Halloween tale that balances a really spooky premise with the hilarity that accompanies any mention of underwear.
Jasper Rabbit needs new underwear. Plain White satisfies him until he spies them: “Creepy underwear! So creepy! So comfy! They were glorious.” The underwear of his dreams is a pair of radioactive-green briefs with a Frankenstein face on the front, the green color standing out all the more due to Brown’s choice to do the entire book in grayscale save for the underwear’s glowing green…and glow they do, as Jasper soon discovers. Despite his “I’m a big rabbit” assertion, that glow creeps him out, so he stuffs them in the hamper and dons Plain White. In the morning, though, he’s wearing green! He goes to increasing lengths to get rid of the glowing menace, but they don’t stay gone. It’s only when Jasper finally admits to himself that maybe he’s not such a big rabbit after all that he thinks of a clever solution to his fear of the dark. Brown’s illustrations keep the backgrounds and details simple so readers focus on Jasper’s every emotion, writ large on his expressive face. And careful observers will note that the underwear’s expression also changes, adding a bit more creep to the tale.
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with Dr. Seuss’ tale of animate, empty pants. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Aug. 22, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0298-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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