A fearless young whaler leads a fearsome whale on a merry chase, triggering the Great Whale Bet of 1847. Monster whale Cetus “loved to smash boats” and “ate anything that got in his way.” When sailor Galleon Keene tries to harpoon Cetus, the whale snaps his boat and bites off his leg. Later, Galleon wishes for a son, and the boy he carves out of driftwood comes alive. Named Peggony-Po, the boy is “feisty as a kettle of just-caught fish.” He brags he will capture Cetus, and the ship’s crew bet on whether the cocky boy will succeed. Diving into the ocean, Peggony-Po holds onto the fierce Cetus with a seaweed harness. For three days, boy and whale circle the globe like a “traveling spectacle,” until Peggony-Po tricks Cetus. Dramatic swirling illustrations in bold blacks and blues accentuate the turbulent maritime action, showcasing tiny Peggony-Po astride giant Cerus. Reminiscent of tall-tale heroes like Pecos Bill and John Henry, Peggony-Po and his larger-than-life seafaring antics result in a rollicking Moby-Dick for the small set. (author’s note, glossary, further reading) (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: April 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-7868-1958-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2006
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
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