Entertaining and visually appealing but not particularly original.
A retelling of the famous Norwegian fairy tale “The Three Billy Goats Gruff.”
The “famous” Brothers Gruff are Big Billy Goat, Middle Billy Goat, and Little Billy Goat. They are famous, the text explains, because of a “loudmouth bully boy” who lives under a mountain bridge, the ugly and fearsome Troll. The Gruff brothers, having eaten all the grass on their side of the mountain, realize that the grass is literally greener on the other side and make their way across the bridge, escaping—or, in the case of Big Billy Goat, head butting—the very hungry Troll. Despite the subtitle promising “The Full Story,” this rendition does not stray far from the original. In fact, some of the only differences between this picture book and the traditionally told fairy tale are the presence of the Gruff brothers’ cousins, to whom they retell the story of how they overcame the troll under the bridge, and the way the text embellishes the familiar showdowns between Gruffs and Troll. The traditional repetition of the “trip-trap” of the goats’ hooves is retained, giving children opportunities to participate, and Tillotson’s bright and cheerful illustrations, which paint Troll as a red, snaggletoothed, horned creature, are certain to be appealing to a young audience. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11.8-by-17.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Entertaining and visually appealing but not particularly original. (Picture book/folktale. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4814-1573-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: June 29, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
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
SEEN & HEARD
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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