A silly little series opener.
A large, wacky family struggles to pick a family pet.
The Pepper family (mother Tee, father Sal, Meemaw, and six kids between the ages of 2 and 12) live in one “crazypants” house. The plot kicks off when 8-year-old Annie schemes to get a family pet after rescuing a tiny Chihuahua, Azzie, from a pack of squirrels. Azzie lives at Frida Flamingo’s Animal Adoption Agency. However, their father has a strict “Peppers don’t do pets” rule. Using both facts and appeals to emotion, she rallies her family to get a pet. But Annie’s adoption of Azzie isn’t guaranteed, as her siblings can’t decide on what kind of pet. Instead of compromising, and in accordance with Pepper family tradition, they draw a name out of a hat. Aspiring horror movie–maker Beta wins and picks a telegenic tarantula. Frustrated that Beta picked a “family” pet only he would enjoy, Annie gives in to a dark impulse and lets the spider out, leading to a humorous bathroom mishap (related from tarantula Harry’s perspective) that sends him back to the shelter and the Peppers back to the hat. On the cycle of animal disasters goes, until the Peppers are banned from pet adoption and every kid’s heartbroken. At last Annie comes up with a cinematic scheme to make things right, and the Pepper parents commit to responsible pet ownership. The third-person narration is smart, well-paced, and funny; Cooper’s grayscale cartoons add fizz. Annie and Beta are both blond and appear white, but some family members seem to have slightly-darker-than–paper-white skin.
A silly little series opener. (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: May 28, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-29702-7
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A welcome, well-researched reflection of cultural pride in the early-reader landscape.
The fourth installment in Delacre’s early-reader series centers on the rich musical traditions of Puerto Rico, once again featuring sibling tree frogs Rafi and Rosi Coquí.
Readers learn along with Rafi and Rosi as they explore bomba, plena, and salsa in three chapters. A glossary at the beginning sets readers up well to understand the Spanish vocabulary, including accurate phoneticization for non-Spanish speakers. The stories focus on Rafi and Rosi’s relationship within a musical context. For example, in one chapter Rafi finds out that he attracts a larger audience playing his homemade güiro with Rosi’s help even though he initially excluded her: “Big brothers only.” Even when he makes mistakes, as the older brother, Rafi consoles Rosi when she is embarrassed or angry at him. In each instance, their shared joy for music and dance ultimately shines through any upsets—a valuable reflection of unity. Informational backmatter and author’s sources are extensive. Undoubtedly these will help teachers, librarians, and parents to develop Puerto Rican cultural programs, curriculum, or home activities to extend young readers’ learning. The inclusion of instructions to make one’s own homemade güiro is a thoughtful addition. The Spanish translation, also by Delacre and published simultaneously, will require a more advanced reader than the English one to recognize and comprehend contractions (“pa’bajo-pa-pa’rriba”) and relatively sophisticated vocabulary.
A welcome, well-researched reflection of cultural pride in the early-reader landscape. (Early reader. 7-9)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-89239-429-6
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Children's Book Press
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
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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