A fantastically fun tale; little ones longing for their own dogs will come away even more eager for a four-legged friend.
A day in the life of a very busy pooch.
A fluffy white dog named Topanga starts the day at 6:30 a.m. First, Topanga awakens the rest of the household: parents “Big Guy” and “Lady,” children “Ponytail,” “Moptop,” and “Freckles,” and brand-new baby “Poop-and-Cry.” Topanga helps out all day long, finding Ponytail’s tights, keeping Poop-and-Cry occupied while Lady works on her computer and Big Guy does laundry, and alerting Lady to a kitchen fire. Later, Topanga saves Freckles from the neighbor bully dog Buster and lends a sympathetic ear when Moptop describes a bad day at school. When the family erupts into a series of arguments, Topanga knocks over the flour in the kitchen, distracting everyone from their various crises. The day comes to a close as Topanga entertains Poop-and-Cry, who says her first word: Topanga! Scillian and Bowers add another winning volume to their successful Memoirs series. Scillian’s text, narrated by Topanga, perfectly captures a dog’s perspective. Topanga is a mix of exuberance, self-confidence, and patience—everything readers young and old love about dogs. Though Topanga’s a crucial part of this family, the humans are often oblivious to the ways in which their pet saves the day; readers will giggle knowingly. Bowers’ energetic cartoon illustrations ramp up the humor. The family is light-skinned.
A fantastically fun tale; little ones longing for their own dogs will come away even more eager for a four-legged friend. (Picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781534112995
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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