Packed with personality, from the pastries to the people to the delightful deputy dog, this sweet confection is sure to...
This simple story of a Wild West enthusiast with a penchant for pastry will tickle the funny bones of young listeners and parents alike.
The unnamed young boy, referred to as “the sheriff” throughout and identified that way by a (probably) paper star taped to his blue fedora, has apparently been sent to the bakery for a dozen doughnuts. Along with his adorable gray dog (aka deputy), the sheriff wends his way home on foot, greeting kids and grown-ups along the way. He doesn’t get far, however, before he decides to peek into the box—at which point he falls prey to the lure of a plump, powdered donut. Roxas’ charming illustrations are drawn with graphite and colored digitally in subtle but appealing hues. A hint of sepia echoes the faux homespun language and Western theme. They showcase a clean, friendly small town of leafy streets and small shops, populated with perky cartoon-style characters. The pictures also provide evidence of the sheriff’s crime, to which he is amusingly oblivious. As a result, he is increasingly spooked by the perspicacity of the people he meets along the way. McGhee’s deadpan delivery contrasts nicely with her tongue-in-cheek tale while Roxas’ pictures provide extra action, atmosphere and amusement.
Packed with personality, from the pastries to the people to the delightful deputy dog, this sweet confection is sure to satisfy. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3925-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: April 30, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2013
A recipe for storytime fun.
Mitzi Tulane, preschool detective, is back, and this time she’s got helpers.
Mitzi’s friend Max is at her apartment on a play date, and muffins are on the snack menu. Mitzi is a black child with dark brown skin, and Max, with light, pinkish skin and blond hair, appears white like Mitzi’s father and baby brother, Kev. When the friends get the muffins, Max warns Mitzi that her dad might’ve sneaked something into them: “Like…spinach,” he whispers. Mitzi is aghast. Max speaks from experience, since his mother has indulged in such vegetable-hiding treachery, and Mitzi decides to investigate. When her magnifying glass can’t provide conclusive evidence about a suspicious speck that may or may not be a vegetable, they sneak across the hall, past Mitzi’s dad on the phone and the super (a white man called “Tall Dan”), to consult with science-loving Latino twins Juan and Juanita. A microscope is no help, but Bun Bun (their pet rabbit) gobbles up the crumb, leading everyone to conclude that it was a bit of carrot. Juanita writes up a report detailing the lapin expert witness’s findings, which the friends share with Tall Dan as they head back to Mitzi’s apartment, triumphant. McLaughlin’s text is both funny and respectful of its protagonists, while Ohi’s colorful, cartoon illustrations ramp up the humor in this story and add visual interest with setting details.
A recipe for storytime fun. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: July 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-449-81916-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: April 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2017
A cracking whooooo-dunit.
An owl detective tries to discover exactly what happened to Perry the possum.
Whobert likes to patrol the forest and keep it safe from danger. So when he sees Perry the possum lying on the ground, he knows something is amiss. “Poor Perry!” Whobert exclaims. “I will find out who, who done it!” He looks around and spots some feathery evidence. It must have been Debbie the duck! (Young sleuths will notice the feathers are red, like Whobert’s, not blue, like Debbie’s.) “It was YOU! You whacked Perry with your wicked wings!” Whobert declares. With a cleverly placed page turn and anticipated rhyme, Debbie pleads her innocence: “What a quack! It wasn’t me, Whobert! It’s true! Not guilty: you see, it was—” // “Who?” implores Whobert. Invoking every detective element from eyewitnesses to footprints, Whobert interrogates other forest residents. Each creature replies with the same refrain, leading readers to believe that the culprit just may be someone Whobert knows very well. Pauwels’ digital forest scenes full of tiny onlookers such as bees, spiders, and worms complement Gallaher’s witty wordplay. Readers unfamiliar with the idea of “playing possum” may not fully appreciate the joke—though Perry does explain his unique defense strategy so there is a teachable moment.
A cracking whooooo-dunit. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 18, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-6271-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: April 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2017
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