A strikingly original look at a most unusual marine creature.
What makes the parrotfish so special?
The creators of Stinkbird Has a Superpower (2023) have produced another informative, funny, and engaging tale centered on a bizarre animal fact. Boastful Parrotfish really wants to tell a hammerhead shark about its superpower, but the shark keeps interrupting. Parrotfish builds suspense by revealing other fun facts: Some parrotfish sleep in a mucus sac; they have about 1,000 hard teeth, which resemble a beak; they eat algae and polyps; and they have even more teeth in their throats! As amazing as these facts are, however, they aren’t the parrotfish’s superpower. Finally, our hero points out a sandy shore and says, “Guess who made that beach? Me!” The shark is skeptical (“You’re saying you eat coral, then poop it out as white sand…Which washes ashore….And becomes that beach?”), surprised, and finally impressed—and, as he demonstrates that he has a useful ability of his own, a friendship is born. As in Stinkbird, Shea’s colorful cartoon illustrations add greatly to the humor. Dramatic expressions and body language convey emotion, and the backgrounds provide a reasonable sense of the animals’ habitat. Parrotfish is bright eyed and vibrantly colored; the shark shows off sharp teeth. Color-coded speech bubbles convey the characters’ conversation, making it easy to identify who’s saying what. The lively presentation and ick factor make this a winner. The beach scene depicts racially diverse humans.
A strikingly original look at a most unusual marine creature. (list of true/false statements about parrotfish) (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9780593532010
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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BOOK REVIEW
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