Indolent, irascible and utterly irresistible, Fuddles is the undisputed focus of every scene in this hilarious reminder to...
A pampered, protected house cat turns outdoor adventurer when he escapes into the front yard of his residential neighborhood and encounters reality.
Fat, flaccid and totally spoiled by his family, feline Fuddles lives a life filled with eating, sleeping and the occasional litter-box trip. When he finally opts for adventure, Fuddles discovers he’s not allowed outside. Obsessed with going out and fighting the foes he knows await, Fuddles initiates a “strict exercise regime.” Eventually Fuddles spies an open front door, darts outside and loses no time leaping after birds on the porch, where his tubbiness weighs him down. He tries chasing squirrels but can’t claw his way up a tree. His catnap in the neighbor’s yard turns into a harrowing flight from an aggressive dog, leaving Fuddles lost without his litter box as night descends. Scared and lonely, missing his family and feeling hungry, Fuddles learns the hard way there’s no place like home. Digitally rendered, comical illustrations trace Fuddles’ journey from spa-like existence in tub and hammock to his feeble fitness training with scratching post and toy mouse to the reality of his outdoor adventure, punctuated by indignant falls, futile clawing, frantic flight and fearful search for home.
Indolent, irascible and utterly irresistible, Fuddles is the undisputed focus of every scene in this hilarious reminder to stick with a good thing when you’ve got it. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: May 3, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4169-9155-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2011
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
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BOOK REVIEW
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
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BOOK REVIEW
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