Problem-solvers and dog lovers alike will pounce on this series.
This opening title for a chapter-book series follows Korean siblings Shawn and Kat Choi as they petsit for Bouncer, an active Jack Russell terrier who loves kimchi.
As the story opens, these characters bound on the scene with a ready-to-play attitude. When the siblings decide to start a doggie day care business, Bouncer is their first customer. Living up to his name, the high-energy pup leaves chewed-up shoes and a half-eaten chicken in his wake. Focusing on his personality, the siblings determine that exercising him at a nearby park curbs his bad behavior. Using kimchi as a reward, they train Bouncer to fetch balls on the tennis court, the baseball field, and the soccer pitch. Each book in this series highlights a different dog breed and the unique care and training required to bring out their best behavior. Publishing simultaneously are Blue Ribbon Pup, about a bichon frisé; Dog Sled Star, about a Siberian husky; and Library Buddy, about a goldendoodle. Set in large, easy-to-read type, the vocabulary is useful and simple, with just a few reach words like “obstacle” and “occasion.” Hanakata’s illustrations, well balanced with the text, depict Bouncer as a cheerfully playful puppy, propelling the action forward with his antics; Shawn and Kat are supported by a diverse cast in which readers of many colors can see themselves reflected.
Problem-solvers and dog lovers alike will pounce on this series. (Fiction. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-63163-340-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Jolly Fish Press
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader!
Fun with friends makes for a great day.
Norbit, a salmon-colored worm with a pink kerchief, joyfully greets the day and everyone he encounters. “Hello, friends! It’s time for fun with the sun! Let’s play!” He and his menagerie of forest pals—including the sun, who grows limbs and descends from the sky—exuberantly engage in various forms of physical activity such as jumping, going down a slide, spinning around, and watching the clouds go by. Young readers will readily relate, as these are games that most children are familiar with. As day turns to night, Norbit says farewell to Sun and welcomes Moon with an invitation to continue the fun. Watkins has created a vivid world of movement and merriment. Her illustrations feature bright bursts of color that match the energy of the text, with most sentences ending in an exclamation point. The author/illustrator incorporates many elements that make for an ideal early-reading experience (despite the use of a contraction or two): art free from clutter, text consisting of words with only one or two syllables, and repetition and recurring bits, such as a continued game of hide-and-seek with Sun. Inspired by never-before-seen sketches from the Dr. Seuss Collection archives at the University of California San Diego, this is the first title for Seuss Studios, a new imprint for original stories from “emerging authors and illustrators” who “honor Seuss’s hallmark spirit of creativity and imagination.”
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader! (author's note) (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780593646212
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Seuss Studios
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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