In spite of a somewhat lackluster text, this is a refreshingly traditional antidote to electronic amusements.
The best-laid plans of mice and OCD birds….
Caterina is a small brown bird with a penchant for crafting and an obsession with lists: “Lists of things to do / Lists of things not to do / Lists of things to love / Lists of things not to love” (the only item on this list, iterated three times, is “surprises”). Her most important list is that of her friends, because she is preparing to throw her first party. She has planned everything down to the last detail. She has creatively crafted invitations and decorations, and she has prepared sumptuous appetizers. Caterina schleps all the party goods to the picnic site and readies the elegant feast. However, she has reckoned without the unpredictability of the weather. It rains on her parade and drenches all her creations. She is devastated and does not know what to do, until her friends come to the rescue, bringing wonderful potluck food, music and good cheer. The impromptu party and slap-up feed is better than anything Caterina could have planned. The well-worn message that having good friends trumps adversity is given a fresh interpretation in these charming, collage-filled pages. Any child who enjoys scrapbooking or crafts will be inspired to get busy with crayons, glue and scissors by the crafty images on every page.
In spite of a somewhat lackluster text, this is a refreshingly traditional antidote to electronic amusements. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: July 11, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3902-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A successful swap from coconut tree to Christmas tree.
A Christmas edition of the beloved alphabet book.
The story starts off nearly identically to Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989), written by John Archambault and the late Bill Martin Jr, with the letters A, B, and C deciding to meet in the branches of a tree. This time, they’re attempting to scale a Christmas tree, not a coconut tree, and the letters are strung together like garland. A, B, and C are joined by the other letters, and of course they all “slip, slop, topple, plop!” right down the tree. At the bottom, they discover an assortment of gifts, all in a variety of shapes. As a team, the letters and presents organize themselves to get back up on the Christmas tree and get a star to the top. Holiday iterations of favorite tales often fall flat, but this take succeeds. The gifts are an easy way to reinforce another preschool concept—shapes—and the text uses just enough of the original to be familiar. The rhyming works, sticking to the cadence of the source material. The illustrations pay homage to the late Lois Ehlert’s, featuring the same bold block letters, though they lack some of the whimsy and personality of the original. Otherwise, everything is similarly brightly colored and simply drawn. Those familiar with the classic will be drawn to this one, but newcomers can enjoy it on its own.
A successful swap from coconut tree to Christmas tree. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665954761
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
A funny tale about stress and an ever upping ante, with a comforting end.
Something is preventing Owl from falling asleep.
Owl leans back against his white pillow and headboard. “Squeek!” says something underneath the bed. Owl’s never heard that sound before, so he fastens his pink bathrobe and answers the front door. Nobody. It must be the wind; back to bed. Bidding himself goodnight, he climbs into bed—and hears the noise again. Time after time, he pops out of bed seeking the squeaker. Is it in the cupboard? He empties the shelves. Under the floor? He pulls up his floorboards. As Owl’s actions ratchet up—he destroys the roof and smashes the walls, all in search of the squeak—so does his anxiety. Not until he hunkers down in bed under the night sky (his bed is now outdoors, because the house’s roof and walls are gone), frantically clutching his pillow, does he see what readers have seen all along: a small, gray mouse. In simple illustrations with black outlines, textured coloring, and foreshortened perspective, Pizzoli plays mischievously with mouse placement. Sometimes the mouse is behind Owl or just out of his sightline; other times, the mouse is on a solid, orange-colored page across the spread from Owl, which removes him from Owl’s scene in a rather postmodern manner. Is the mouse toying with Owl? Who knows?
A funny tale about stress and an ever upping ante, with a comforting end. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 19, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4847-1275-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2016
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