Hilarious, high-stepping tributes to a musical niche that never was.
For record collectors and fans of old-timey music, an alphabetical sampler of rockin’ tunes from the likes of Mandy and the Meerkats and the Fabulous Foxes of Folk.
Tongue firmly in cheek, Bell explains in her introduction that she’s a collector of records by animal musicians, from the 1940s to the ’80s. Thanks to a QR code, young audiences can listen to the “original” vinyl tracks and follow along as armadillo accordionist Arnie Dillow regales listeners with “My Aromatic Armpit Is Astonishing to All” and the Barbershop Beagles bark out “Bud Believes in Betty (But Betty Believes in Brad).” Other performers holler out their hits, from Darryl and the Dodo Devilettes to the Hip-Hop Hedgehogs and the Zydeco Zebras. Like the psychedelic “Philip, Phone the Plumber (It’s Time To Plumb the Pot),” featuring the lyrics “The faucet oozes out rainbows / And unicorns hot and cold / They sneeze on my towels, I’ve gotta move my bowels / But the toilet’s overflowing with silver and gold,” most of these uproariously funny, clever lyrics don’t need their musical accompaniment to stand up. Along with an introduction and background notes on the careers of these bands or solo performers, Bell supplies paint- and cut-paper images of album covers expertly evoking eras from big band to disco, with the occasional concert ticket and other memorabilia tucked in.
Hilarious, high-stepping tributes to a musical niche that never was. (Picture book/poetry. 6-9)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9781536226249
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Walker US/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
PERSPECTIVES
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
Charming.
An assortment of unusual characters form friendships and help each other become their best selves.
Mr. and Mrs. Tupper, who live at Number 3 Ramshorn Drive, are antiquarians. Their daughter, Jillian, loves and cares for a plant named Ivy, who has “three speckles on each leaf and three letters in her name.” Toasty, the grumpy goldfish, lives in an octagonal tank and wishes he were Jillian’s favorite; when Arthur the spider arrives inside an antique desk, he brings wisdom and insight. Ollie the violet plant, Louise the bee, and Sunny the canary each arrive with their own quirks and problems to solve. Each character has a distinct personality and perspective; sometimes they clash, but more often they learn to empathize, see each other’s points of view, and work to help one another. They also help the Tupper family with bills and a burglar. The Fan brothers’ soft-edged, old-fashioned, black-and-white illustrations depict Toasty and Arthur with tiny hats; Ivy and Ollie have facial expressions on their plant pots. The Tuppers have paper-white skin and dark hair. The story comes together like a recipe: Simple ingredients combine, transform, and rise into something wonderful. In its matter-of-fact wisdom, rich vocabulary (often defined within the text), hint of magic, and empathetic nonhuman characters who solve problems in creative ways, this delightful work is reminiscent of Ferris by Kate DiCamillo, Our Friend Hedgehog by Lauren Castillo, and Ivy Lost and Found by Cynthia Lord and Stephanie Graegin.
Charming. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: May 27, 2025
ISBN: 9781665942485
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
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