Once die-hard fans spy this, they’ll make a grab for it.
That irrepressible porker is back.
This time Olivia’s up to espionage, or eavesdropping, or listening in on her parents’ conversation—call it what you will—and misinterprets what she overhears. In typical fashion, Olivia decides she doesn’t like what she’s heard and sets out to “investigate.” This means trying to blend in and play incognito, not an easy task given the piglet’s penchant for standing out. Her teacher’s innocent and well-meant explanation of an ominous-sounding word casually uttered by her dad ups the stakes to something that seems truly dire. When her mom tells her they’re going on a surprise trip, Olivia can’t help but imagine the worst: they’re headed for—oh, no!—an institution where, no doubt, she’ll be locked up for serious misdemeanors. Turns out, the dreaded place is actually New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; Olivia’s going to the ballet. How lovely for Olivia, but it does seem at odds with her mother’s frustration with her daughter’s latest infractions. The story’s thin, but, as usual, this newest installment in the popular series is full of funny bits, while adults’ bewildered, clueless expressions and Olivia’s earnest obliviousness in the charcoal-and-gouache illustrations are priceless. References to Julia Child and ballet terms will be above most kids’ heads, and a gratuitous accidental visit to the stage instead of the restroom feels tacked-on.
Once die-hard fans spy this, they’ll make a grab for it. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 4, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-5795-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
IN THE NEWS
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers.
Echoing the meter of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” Ward uses catchy original rhymes to describe the variety of nests birds create.
Each sweet stanza is complemented by a factual, engaging description of the nesting habits of each bird. Some of the notes are intriguing, such as the fact that the hummingbird uses flexible spider web to construct its cup-shaped nest so the nest will stretch as the chicks grow. An especially endearing nesting behavior is that of the emperor penguin, who, with unbelievable patience, incubates the egg between his tummy and his feet for up to 60 days. The author clearly feels a mission to impart her extensive knowledge of birds and bird behavior to the very young, and she’s found an appealing and attractive way to accomplish this. The simple rhymes on the left page of each spread, written from the young bird’s perspective, will appeal to younger children, and the notes on the right-hand page of each spread provide more complex factual information that will help parents answer further questions and satisfy the curiosity of older children. Jenkins’ accomplished collage illustrations of common bird species—woodpecker, hummingbird, cowbird, emperor penguin, eagle, owl, wren—as well as exotics, such as flamingoes and hornbills, are characteristically naturalistic and accurate in detail.
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers. (author’s note, further resources) (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-2116-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
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