A lively look at a community’s unsung heroes.
A mole embarks on more adventures in this latest installment of a children’s book series.
Mole is back again, meeting the “helpers” in his community and learning everything he can about his neighbors. In the first story in this volume, Mole has a goal that many young ones share—to be a firefighter. He plays with a firetruck before bed, and that inspires dreams of helping put out an inferno at a neighbor’s dwelling. Alongside other firefighters, Mole extinguishes a blaze at Panda’s house down the street, and everyone is quite thankful for his efforts. In another tale, Mole, Molie, and their mother are assisted by Gardener Gina in tending their backyard plot. They plant okra, beans, corn, cauliflower, and more while Mole and Molie learn how gardeners help grow food and cultivate the earth. Next, Mole and his friends Beaver and Beavee are having quite the day in play. But when Beaver trips and hurts his leg, the gang must journey to the doctor, where Mole meets his next community helper. The physician tends to Beaver’s injured leg, and the ice cream afterward helps, too. In the fourth and final episode, Mole meets his local plumber, who helps fix a leak in the garden faucet. Sarna’s (Mole Witnesses a Miracle in Nature & Explore the World of Frogs with Mole, 2016, etc.) characters are all important members of the societies in which children live, and Mole’s escapades are designed to not only thrill, but educate as well. A gardener, firefighter, doctor, and plumber perform different jobs, but they’re all important to the well-oiled community. Young readers should delight in learning about each role—even ones they never thought they cared about. Sarna’s stories are certainly engaging (if a touch underdeveloped), but they also have capitalization errors. For instance, the text explains: “The next day Plumber Parker came with his Tool Box and some new steel pipes to help in fixing the leaking faucet in the Mole house garden.” But the illustrations are amusing (although the human cast lacks diversity), and readers should enjoy the colorful images throughout the work.
A lively look at a community’s unsung heroes.Pub Date: March 4, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4828-7052-7
Page Count: 60
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
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
