Hale makes a common premise uncommonly appealing with illustrations that feature a gloriously multi-species cast. Yellowbelly wouldn’t think of going off to school without his stuffed purple bear Plum, and so it’s time for panic when Plum goes missing on the playground. That playground, and the classroom seen earlier, is stocked with an array of young “folk” that includes dinosaurs, aliens, animals of various sorts, robots, movie monsters and ambulatory cacti, along with the occasional human child—all about the same size, all in school clothes (except for the tutu-clad shark) and all plainly having a great time. Readers will too, as the plot’s crisis is quickly resolved by a happy reunion that leads to games of basketball and “orthodontist” with a set of new friends, and the pictures are filled with tongue-in-cheek details to pick out. It’s the best take on the “misplaced buddy” theme since Jules Feiffer’s considerably more neurotic I Lost My Bear! (1998). (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: July 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-399-24624-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2007
At her best, Rylant’s (The Ticky-Tacky Doll, below, etc.) sweetness and sentiment fills the heart; in this outing, however, sentimentality reigns and the end result is pretty gooey. Pandora keeps a lighthouse: her destiny is to protect ships at sea. She’s lonely, but loves her work. She rescues Seabold and heals his broken leg, and he stays on to mend his shipwrecked boat. This wouldn’t be so bad but Pandora’s a cat and Seabold a dog, although they are anthropomorphized to the max. Then the duo rescue three siblings—mice!—and make a family together, although Rylant is careful to note that Pandora and Seabold each have their own room. Choosing what you love, caring for others, making a family out of love, it is all very well, but this capsizes into silliness. Formatted to look like the start of a new series. Oh, dear. (Fiction. 6-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-689-84880-3
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2002
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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