This romp may be slight in plot, but it’s overflowing in clever wordplay.
Life on the farm is positively “Cock-a-Doodle DULL” until Rooster catches a jitterbug that starts the whole barn a shakin’ and a rollin’.
“The chickens do / the cha-cha, / as the dogs begin / ballet, / and shimmy sheep / don’t stop their / swing until / the light of day.” Barnyard beats and dancing livestock tales are a dime a dozen, but this snappy rhythm is enough to carry readers, regardless of originality. (It’s super fun to read aloud.) However, the farm animals can’t fully surrender to a life of dance and ignore their responsibilities. The eggs have become scrambled, the milk has curdled and the farm is a mess. The only thing left to do is “Cock-a-Doodle CLEAN UP!” Deas’ energetic animals look like they’ve danced straight out of Looney Tunes, with Rooster and his slick, rockabilly hair/comb leading the way. Action words like “pivot,” “pounce” and “prance” (extra points for alliteration) are mixed in with a variety of dances from all different eras. A glossary at the back describes some of the steps and history in further detail.
This romp may be slight in plot, but it’s overflowing in clever wordplay. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: May 22, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-312-38251-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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BOOK REVIEW
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