Both chapter-book and reluctant readers will go for this one like cats to paletas.
Ugly Cat and Pablo are two tough dudes with hearts of gold and a penchant for miscommunication and (mis)adventure.
Pablo is a mouse who dreams of adventure; his best friend, Ugly Cat, dreams of food. When Pablo suggests an outing to the park, Ugly Cat is hooked. After all, there is always the possibility of food in an outing to the park. Sure enough, food abounds, but then they see “THE CART.” The cart sells paletas—the Spanish word for Popsicles—Ugly Cat’s most favorite treat. An “easy peasy lemon squeezy” plan is hatched to obtain a paleta, and from there on, it is all a series of mishaps and misunderstandings. Knight’s black-and-white illustrations energetically capture the zaniness of the caper. Each protagonist speaks in a distinctive typeface, which also adds to the visual fun. The book has a liberal sprinkling of Spanish throughout; most of it will be understood by the context, but there is enough vocabulary that will be understood only by readers familiar with Spanish to make them feel extra accomplished. (There is a glossary for those who are not.) And our heroes? Well, they come out of the escapade unharmed and ready to plot their next adventure—“as long as we go together. And as long as there are snacks.” A series is born.
Both chapter-book and reluctant readers will go for this one like cats to paletas. (recipe) (Fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: April 25, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-545-94092-4
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Jan. 31, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Pull this out whenever you or someone nearby could use some joy and clever comics.
No public-domain tomfoolery here; this adaptation is an act of love.
An innocent, shirtless bear wanders through a forest. His blank, dot-eyed face is as aimless as his gait, although he is not without purpose: the location and consumption of honey. Woodland friends Christopher Robin, Piglet, Eeyore, Owl, Kanga, Roo, and Rabbit all have encounters with this silly bear, Winnie-the-Pooh, often to lend each other a hand in friendship or in pursuit of a Woozle or Heffalump. The mixture of personalities balances the sugar-sweetness of the genteel adventures, from the morose Eeyore to the verbose Owl. Rabbit has mean intentions for Kanga and her baby Roo, but they never escalate beyond playful mischief. Christopher Robin, who’s drawn with paper-white skin, is the comparably capable human who cheerfully gets along with the many anthropomorphic animals. Dandro’s black-and-white artwork skillfully renders the forests, fields, and streams of the outdoor setting while amplifying the playful dialogue with precisely timed pauses. The inventive use of layouts and paneling makes this an adept adaptation of Milne’s text to the graphic format. That silly old bear has learned some new tricks, and they may inspire a new generation of readers to discover the delights of Milne and Ernest H. Shepard’s original volumes.
Pull this out whenever you or someone nearby could use some joy and clever comics. (Graphic fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: April 16, 2024
ISBN: 9781770466968
Page Count: 220
Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
Another winner from Mills, equally well suited to reading aloud and independent reading.
When Franklin School principal Mr. Boone announces a pet-show fundraiser, white third-grader Cody—whose lack of skill and interest in academics is matched by keen enthusiasm for and knowledge of animals—discovers his time to shine.
As with other books in this series, the children and adults are believable and well-rounded. Even the dialogue is natural—no small feat for a text easily accessible to intermediate readers. Character growth occurs, organically and believably. Students occasionally, humorously, show annoyance with teachers: “He made mad squinty eyes at Mrs. Molina, which fortunately she didn’t see.” Readers will be kept entertained by Cody’s various problems and the eventual solutions. His problems include needing to raise $10 to enter one of his nine pets in the show (he really wants to enter all of them), his troublesome dog Angus—“a dog who ate homework—actually, who ate everything and then threw up afterward”—struggles with homework, and grappling with his best friend’s apparently uncaring behavior toward a squirrel. Serious values and issues are explored with a light touch. The cheery pencil illustrations show the school’s racially diverse population as well as the memorable image of Mr. Boone wearing an elephant costume. A minor oddity: why does a child so immersed in animal facts call his male chicken a rooster but his female chickens chickens?
Another winner from Mills, equally well suited to reading aloud and independent reading. (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: June 14, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-374-30223-8
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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