This understated British romp will have readers absorbed in its details.
Dawney and Barrow here offer the tale of a little boy who navigates the streets of 1940s London to visit the possums at the zoo.
A bit reminiscent of Madeline (1939) with its rhyming text, recognizable metropolitan landmarks and purposeful youngster wearing a hat that trails ribbons, this follows Samuel and his “dog-on-wheels” through a bustling cityscape. Urban diversity is captured through varying skin tones, hairstyles and fashion choices. While the poetry scans smoothly, the first half of the book merely describes what the eye can see: “They pass the man who sells balloons, / they pass the band that’s playing tunes.” A pleasing narrative symmetry, however, becomes evident midway through. To the left of the gutter, five baby possums are sleeping, tails wrapped round the branch above; on the right, their eyes open and watch Sam depart. The rest of the story mirrors the beginning, except that the five possums join tail to tail with the toy dog Sam is dragging. While the boy is oblivious to his parade, the passersby, palace guards and street vendors are riveted; the humor derives from the onlookers’ distracted mishaps and the text/image contrast. The balloons play a part in the animals’ return to the zoo, but a surprise awaits the child at home. Cream-colored, matte backgrounds offer a restful backdrop for the tale’s colorful cacophony.
This understated British romp will have readers absorbed in its details. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-84976-221-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Tate/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2014
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
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends.
Is it a stormy-night scare or a bedtime book? Both!
Little Blue Truck and his good friend Toad are heading home when a storm lets loose. Before long, their familiar, now very nervous barnyard friends (Goat, Hen, Goose, Cow, Duck, and Pig) squeeze into the garage. Blue explains that “clouds bump and tumble in the sky, / but here inside we’re warm and dry, / and all the thirsty plants below / will get a drink to help them grow!” The friends begin to relax. “Duck said, loud as he could quack it, / ‘THUNDER’S JUST A NOISY RACKET!’ ” In the quiet after the storm, the barnyard friends are sleepy, but the garage is not their home. “ ‘Beep!’ said Blue. ‘Just hop inside. / All aboard for the bedtime ride!’ ” Young readers will settle down for their own bedtimes as Blue and Toad drop each friend at home and bid them a good night before returning to the garage and their own beds. “Blue gave one small sleepy ‘Beep.’ / Then Little Blue Truck fell fast asleep.” Joseph’s rich nighttime-blue illustrations (done “in the style of [series co-creator] Jill McElmurry”) highlight the power of the storm and capture the still serenity that follows. Little Blue Truck has been chugging along since 2008, but there seems to be plenty of gas left in the tank.
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-328-85213-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
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