Joyful, charming, and fantastically funny.
Is there a monster in Central Park?
Cordelia (who describes herself as “squirlish”—“a little bit girl and a little bit squirrel”) was abandoned in the park as a baby and raised by a squirrel; she lives in a treehouse and knows Chittering, the language of squirrels. One day, Fenton the rat (well versed in Chittering himself) tells Cordelia and her human friend Isaac that the Central Park Zoo sea lions have been spooked by a monster lurking around their pool. Groundskeeper Viola informs them that the beast is in fact a coyote that she and her colleagues have been trying to catch so they can bring him to a wildlife rehab center. Using their special skills, the trio track down the lonely, frightened coyote, who’s been separated from his pack. The ensuing adventure is filled with twists and turns and a quirky cast of human and animal characters. Moments of suspense and danger are leavened by humor. This third series entry finds Cordelia more secure in herself, and her friendship with Isaac has deepened. The Central Park setting is key to the narrative—where else but New York could a squirlish youngster encounter a wild coyote, take part in a dog parade, and earn the admiration of the Yankees’ star pitcher? Detailed cartoon art captures the action and depicts a diverse cast of humans. (Cordelia is light-skinned, Isaac is brown-skinned, and Viola presents Black.)
Joyful, charming, and fantastically funny. (Fiction/fantasy. 7-11)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9781665926812
Page Count: 112
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
We challenge anyone to read this and keep a straight face.
Four misunderstood villains endeavor to turn over a new leaf…or a new rap sheet in Blabey's frenzied romp.
As readers open the first page of this early chapter book, Mr. Wolf is right there to greet them, bemoaning his reputation. "Just because I've got BIG POINTY TEETH and RAZOR-SHARP CLAWS and I occasionally like to dress up like an OLD LADY, that doesn't mean… / … I'm a BAD GUY." To prove this very fact, Mr. Wolf enlists three equally slandered friends into the Good Guys Club: Mr. Snake (aka the Chicken Swallower), Mr. Piranha (aka the Butt Biter), and Mr. Shark (aka Jaws). After some convincing from Mr. Wolf, the foursome sets off determined to un-smirch their names (and reluctantly curbing their appetites). Although these predators find that not everyone is ready to be at the receiving end of their helpful efforts, they use all their Bad Guy know-how to manage a few hilarious good deeds. Blabey has hit the proverbial nail on the head, kissed it full on the mouth, and handed it a stick of Acme dynamite. With illustrations that startle in their manic comedy and deadpan direct address and with a narrative that follows four endearingly sardonic characters trying to push past (sometimes successfully) their fear-causing natures, this book instantly joins the classic ranks of Captain Underpants and The Stinky Cheese Man.
We challenge anyone to read this and keep a straight face. (Fiction. 7-11)Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-545-91240-2
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Lively fun with animal friends.
Has Plum’s pep deserted him?
Several animals from the Athensville Zoo are on their way to visit an elementary school. Overconfident Itch the ningbing (an Australian marsupial), unaware that zookeeper Lizzie will be doing all the talking, looks forward to “lecturing eager young minds.” Plum, the usually chipper peacock, on the other hand, is anxious—maybe the schoolchildren won’t like him or he’ll get lost. So when they arrive at the school to find the students have been sent home due to a blizzard, Plum is relieved. The animals are left in a school gym for the night until three self-important class mice free them. Itch heads for the library to meet the learned turtle, but Plum reluctantly explores with his friends. When his anxiety peaks, they reassure him, and when the mice reject Meg, another peacock, as “borrrring” and uncool, they buoy her as well before everyone comes together to save Itch, who finds himself outside and stranded in a snowdrift. Unlike Leave It to Plum (2022), this is not a mystery, and the relationship focus shifts from Lizzie to the rodents, but the pace is brisk, and sequel seekers will be pleased to revisit familiar characters (if dismayed that Itch’s longing for knowledge leads to his downfall). In Phelan’s engaging grayscale pen-and-wash illustrations, Lizzie has short curly hair; text and art cue her as Latine.
Lively fun with animal friends. (how to draw Plum) (Chapter book. 7-10)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-06-307920-5
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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