An amusing lesson in how to compromise from two bears who would rather not.
Does a bear share in the woods? The answer may surprise you!
Orson the bear goes for a walk and spies a big rock—an ideal napping spot! But another bear, Izzy, has her eye on the rock, too. Izzy suggests they take turns, but her turn lasts far too long, so Orson drenches her with cold water. The two rivals have reached a stalemate. Orson brings Izzy a different rock, but its thin, sharp shape makes it unsuitable. As they each grab hold of the coveted rock, they tear it apart. Eventually they decide to repair it and to amend their no-sharing policy. After all, “sharing is hard,” as Izzy points out, “but NOT sharing might be harder.” The main duo aren’t so much an odd couple as they are two of a kind, a relationship that’s underscored when they team up to loudly shoo a bird away from “our rock.” The ease with which they acknowledge their stubbornness only makes their continued argument that much more entertaining. Neither party is wrong, but the only workable solution occurs when they team up to make things right. Short, stubby brown Orson and tall, lanky, gray Izzy have complementary designs, though they would be the last to admit it. Backgrounds are full of trees and greenery, with a few pages set against mostly white backdrops.
An amusing lesson in how to compromise from two bears who would rather not. (Graphic fiction. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 20, 2024
ISBN: 9780593752029
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
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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
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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