New neighbors, attitudes, and ideas are worth embracing in this community-minded tale.
A friendly mole learns that strangers aren’t always so strange.
Pocketville, as its welcome sign advertises, is “a quiet little town”—“And we like it that way!” When a new resident, Leo the lizard, moves in, Mrs. Sheep, the baker, starts gossiping about him. Monti the mole is initially annoyed at Leo; the lizard takes Monti’s favorite resting spot, buys the last cinnamon rolls, and checks out the library book Monti wanted. But Leo is also kind and willing to share. The two become fast friends, and when Mrs. Sheep gossips about Leo again, Monti speaks up. He also introduces Leo to his friend Harriet’s music, and they decide to mount a talent show. Though the villagers are reluctant to take part, Monti performs some savvy ego inflation to get Mrs. Sheep on their side, and soon everyone is following suit. Seasons appear to progress from spring to winter over the course of the book’s four chapters. Monti and Leo’s friendship radiates warmth throughout. It’s clear that kindness and hostility are choices, and this tale shows that the capacity for both exists in everyone, from mild-mannered Monti’s brief bouts of irritation to a surprisingly gracious moment courtesy of Mrs. Sheep. With their long snouts, Monti and Leo cut endearing figures in Kantorovitz’s rounded, spare cartoonish art. Most pages contain two to four panels, making the characters’ exploits as easy to process as the relatively short sentences.
New neighbors, attitudes, and ideas are worth embracing in this community-minded tale. (character sketches) (Graphic fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: April 16, 2024
ISBN: 9781536222777
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Walker US/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
What a wag.
What do you get from sewing the head of a smart dog onto the body of a tough police officer? A new superhero from the incorrigible creator of Captain Underpants.
Finding a stack of old Dog Mancomics that got them in trouble back in first grade, George and Harold decide to craft a set of new(ish) adventures with (more or less) improved art and spelling. These begin with an origin tale (“A Hero Is Unleashed”), go on to a fiendish attempt to replace the chief of police with a “Robo Chief” and then a temporarily successful scheme to make everyone stupid by erasing all the words from every book (“Book ’Em, Dog Man”), and finish off with a sort of attempted alien invasion evocatively titled “Weenie Wars: The Franks Awaken.” In each, Dog Man squares off against baddies (including superinventor/archnemesis Petey the cat) and saves the day with a clever notion. With occasional pauses for Flip-O-Rama featurettes, the tales are all framed in brightly colored sequential panels with hand-lettered dialogue (“How do you feel, old friend?” “Ruff!”) and narrative. The figures are studiously diverse, with police officers of both genders on view and George, the chief, and several other members of the supporting cast colored in various shades of brown. Pilkey closes as customary with drawing exercises, plus a promise that the canine crusader will be further unleashed in a sequel.
What a wag. (Graphic fantasy. 7-9)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-58160-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
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It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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