A lively reminder about the most important meal of the day.
A hungry crocodile tries to push through till lunch but may have to nibble on a customer or two.
Croc works as a river ferry. Various animal passengers sit on his back as he shuttles them down the waterway. One morning when Croc oversleeps, he has to forgo his usual bowl of Snappy Snacks. Frantic showering and tooth brushing (“Can’t / GURGLE / be / GARGLE / late / BLURG”) take precedence. He can’t even grab his favorite doughnuts on the way to work, because the Hippo Hut is all sold out! As animals climb aboard, Croc can’t help envisioning them as tasty snacks. The tension grows as Croc licks his lips, imagining a delectable meal of capybaras and a warthog hot dog. With eyes squeezed tight and fingers clamped around his jaws, he’s trying with all his might to resist. Just when Croc can’t take it anymore, a sweet friend with an even sweeter treat saves the day. Told mostly in speech bubbles, with a sassy unseen narrator who breaks in every once in a while, the story skips along at a fast clip but also leaves room for many dramatic pauses to heighten the effect. Larmour relies on a fanciful color scheme—dominated by pinks, greens, and blues—that keeps the tale from becoming scary, no matter how ravenous Croc gets.
A lively reminder about the most important meal of the day. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 4, 2024
ISBN: 9781525308345
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way.
All the typical worries and excuses kids have about school are filtered through Willems’ hysterical, bus-loving Pigeon.
Told mostly in speech balloons, the bird’s monologue will have kids (and their caregivers) in stitches at Pigeon’s excuses. From already knowing everything (except whatever question readers choose to provide in response to “Go ahead—ask me a question. / Any question!”) to fearing learning too much (“My head might pop off”), Pigeon’s imagination has run wild. Readers familiar with Pigeon will recognize the muted, matte backgrounds that show off the bird’s shenanigans so well. As in previous outings, Willems varies the size of the pigeon on the page to help communicate emotion, the bird teeny small on the double-page spread that illustrates the confession that “I’m… / scared.” And Pigeon’s eight-box rant about all the perils of school (“The unknown stresses me out, dude”) is marvelously followed by the realization (complete with lightbulb thought bubble) that school is the place for students to practice, with experts, all those skills they don’t yet have. But it is the ending that is so Willems, so Pigeon, and so perfect. Pigeon’s last question is “Well, HOW am I supposed to get there, anyway!?!” Readers will readily guess both the answer and Pigeon’s reaction.
Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-368-04645-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Sweet and silly—good enough for Halloween
The barnyard animals love Halloween. Farmer Brown does not. Sounds like the perfect time for tricks and treats!
Since Farmer Brown wants nothing to do with the scary holiday, “he leaves a bowl of candy on the porch….draws the shades and locks the door.” Out in the barn, though, the party is just getting started. Saturated watercolors show Cow dressed as a skeleton, the chickens looking quite ghostly and the sheep donning witch hats. As field mice and cats arrive, creepy sounds begin. The “crunch, crunch, crunching” and the “creak, creak, creaking” lead to a “tap, tap, tapping.” Hearing them, Farmer Brown peeks out his window to investigate. Readers will chuckle and easily recognize “the dark creature standing beneath the trees.” The farmer, however, runs to his bedroom to pull the covers up over his head. Now the sounds repeat, as the figure comes closer. This time, though, the tapping is followed by a “quack, quack, quackle.” Wait—“Quackle??” Farmer Brown goes out to the porch to find the candy bowl gone and a note on the door announcing, “Halloween Party at the barn!” The chorus of onomatopoeic phrases throughout the briskly paced text guarantees an interactive read-aloud, though fans of Duck’s earlier outings will miss their satiric bite.
Sweet and silly—good enough for Halloween . (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4424-6553-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2013
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