A lesser Larry adventure.
Larry’s at it again.
Curious pup Larry is back again, having been lost in some 30 locales ranging from Boston to San Diego. His owner, Pete, is visiting his grandmother’s farm when the local library’s bookmobile arrives for a house call. There aren’t any books for Larry, but that doesn’t stop the inquisitive doggo from climbing aboard and taking an unintentional trip to the public library. Squeezing in through the book drop, Larry explores the building unobserved while the bookmobile driver searches for the lost dog. Eventually Larry is located and reunited with his family to rest after his busy day. The abcb rhyme scheme and strict meter of the text create a singsong effect when read aloud: “But then, with a click, / and as quick as a bark, / poor Larry has found / he’s alone in the dark. / The truck engine rumbles. / That pup’s in a bind. / He’s on an adventure / with Pete far behind.” The retro cartoon illustrations support the text with bold colors, but their crisp aesthetic and the on-the-nose nostalgic tinges give a soulless feel to the book, and Larry’s dead-eyed stare does not convey any doggy warmth. The story does give a cursory look at public libraries and the services they offer, but it’s hardly alone in this endeavor. Pete and his grandmother present White, and the bookmobile driver presents Black; library staff and patrons are diverse.
A lesser Larry adventure. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-63217-324-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little Bigfoot/Sasquatch
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2021
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
Echoes of Runaway Bunny color this exchange between a bath-averse piglet and his patient mother. Using a strategy that would probably be a nonstarter in real life, the mother deflects her stubborn offspring’s string of bath-free occupational conceits with appeals to reason: “Pirates NEVER EVER take baths!” “Pirates don’t get seasick either. But you do.” “Yeesh. I’m an astronaut, okay?” “Well, it is hard to bathe in zero gravity. It’s hard to poop and pee in zero gravity too!” And so on, until Mom’s enticing promise of treasure in the deep sea persuades her little Treasure Hunter to take a dive. Chunky figures surrounded by lots of bright white space in Segal’s minimally detailed watercolors keep the visuals as simple as the plotline. The language isn’t quite as basic, though, and as it rendered entirely in dialogue—Mother Pig’s lines are italicized—adult readers will have to work hard at their vocal characterizations for it to make any sense. Moreover, younger audiences (any audiences, come to that) may wonder what the piggy’s watery closing “EUREKA!!!” is all about too. Not particularly persuasive, but this might coax a few young porkers to get their trotters into the tub. (Picture book. 4-6)
Pub Date: March 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-399-25425-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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