Woof and Quack may not be quite ready to replace Elephant and Piggie, but they are just as much fun.
Beginning readers may not know about stereotypes. They just know that Woof and Quack like to play fetch.
Using fewer than 50 words and their variants, Swenson challenges species-specific behavior assumptions in this engaging, somewhat silly, and mildly surprising early reader. When Quack (a male mallard) learns that Woof (an un-gendered brown dog) does not like to fetch balls and other thrown objects, his only comment is “That is interesting”—since he loves fetching. It doesn’t take long before Woof is throwing and Quack is fetching increasingly unconventional items. Similarly, in companion title Woof & Quack in Winter, Woof assumes that Quack will want to fly south for the winter. Instead Quack delights in all the snow activities while Woof is the one who longs for warmer climes. In both books Woof's and Quack’s playful delight is helped by the use of common ideophonic sound effects. “NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM” sounds just like a duck and dog eating cake. The text is conveyed primarily through dialogue in speech bubbles that make it clear who is speaking and help new readers read expressively. The format allows for plenty of repetition as the duck and dog often confirm what the other said. Exuberant and expressive cartoon illustrations set against bright solid color backgrounds express the genuine friendship of these unlikely pals.
Woof and Quack may not be quite ready to replace Elephant and Piggie, but they are just as much fun. (Early reader. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-544-95951-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
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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