A simple, useful look at community helpers.
A mole shares his world in this illustrated children’s book, part of a series.
Mole adores being part of his community and meeting new people, so it makes sense that this lovable creature would helm a series in which he gets to introduce and learn more about important residents of his town. In the first story, Mole and his sister, Molie, discover that two neighbors, Ratter and Rattle, have been raiding their mother’s vegetable garden and stealing the yield. Mole reports the perpetrators to the police. The culprits get a distinct talking to in jail and an important message about the police and how they enforce laws. In the second tale, Mole and his family visit the local baker, where Mole takes a hands-on approach to finding out how he makes the delicious treats the clan nibbles on. In the third and final story, Mole, Molie, and their parents take their sick pup to the veterinarian, and it’s in her office that they observe the many animals she takes care of, from bright parrots to cuddly hamsters. In each tale, Sarna (Mole Witnesses a Miracle in Nature & Explore the World of Frogs with Mole, 2016, etc.) showcases important members of Mole’s society. The baker, veterinarian, and police are all figures that young readers can see working in their own towns, and gleaning more information about these key neighbors should delight many children, depending on their areas of interest. While the stories could use a bit more development, each one contains a valuable lesson—for instance, that stealing is wrong and laws should be followed—so there is a touch of fable here, too. But the book has capitalization errors, which take away from the fun-loving mole’s adventures. For instance, Sarna writes: “A Baker is a community helper who bakes various kinds of Breads, Cakes and Cookies. Mole and Molie loved the delicious fragrance of fresh breads and sweet cakes inside Tim’s Bakery.” Another round of editing would have polished the volume. The illustrations are vivid, if rudimentary (and the human cast, while featuring some career women, lacks diversity). But young readers should enjoy the splashes of color the images add to Mole’s straightforward tales.
A simple, useful look at community helpers.Pub Date: March 4, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4828-7050-3
Page Count: 44
Publisher: PartridgeIndia
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The seemingly ageless Seeger brings back his renowned giant for another go in a tuneful tale that, like the art, is a bit sketchy, but chockful of worthy messages. Faced with yearly floods and droughts since they’ve cut down all their trees, the townsfolk decide to build a dam—but the project is stymied by a boulder that is too huge to move. Call on Abiyoyo, suggests the granddaughter of the man with the magic wand, then just “Zoop Zoop” him away again. But the rock that Abiyoyo obligingly flings aside smashes the wand. How to avoid Abiyoyo’s destruction now? Sing the monster to sleep, then make it a peaceful, tree-planting member of the community, of course. Seeger sums it up in a postscript: “every community must learn to manage its giants.” Hays, who illustrated the original (1986), creates colorful, if unfinished-looking, scenes featuring a notably multicultural human cast and a towering Cubist fantasy of a giant. The song, based on a Xhosa lullaby, still has that hard-to-resist sing-along potential, and the themes of waging peace, collective action, and the benefits of sound ecological practices are presented in ways that children will both appreciate and enjoy. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83271-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001
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