A cumulative singalong fit for hungry crowds (and crocs).
What will the hungry croc eat? (Just about everything….)
“At one on the zoo clock, / the keepers give to me… / A MOUNTAIN OF MACARONI!” But that’s not enough for a huge croc; this one must be fed each hour, and he’s got a song to let readers know what he eats (they can probably sing along with it). At 2:00 there are two cups of tea plus another mountain of macaroni; at 3:00 there are three french fries—and two cups of tea, and yet another mountain. And at 4:00? “4 pumpkin pies / 3 french fries / 2 cups of tea / And a mountain of macaroni!” Doughnut rings (the latter word drawn out), tasty toffees, creamy coffees…it goes on and on to the familiar tune of “The 12 Days of Christmas.” This crocodile eats and eats (and grows increasingly enormous) until it reaches 12 syrup sundaes, at which point the end of the countdown arrives not at another mountain of macaroni but at one green pea. The zookeepers have finally decided this croc needs some veg! Author and sometime Arctic explorer Lewis-Jones shows a silly side in penning a perfect parody of the Yuletide favorite focusing on a greedy croc. Sanders’ stylized illustrations of a bright green croc on equally bright backgrounds inhaling yummies served by a multiracial troop of zookeepers and patrons are a deliciously eye-catching match. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A cumulative singalong fit for hungry crowds (and crocs). (Picture book. 2-7)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7112-6439-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Happy Yak
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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
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