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COME HOME ALREADY!

Name: COME HOME ALREADY!
Author: Jory John
ISBN: 978-0-06-237097-6

From the Goodnight Already! series

by Jory John ; illustrated by Benji Davies ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 5, 2017

This odd Duck and grouchy Bear make an excellent pair.

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Will Bear get a vacation from Duck? Will Duck survive Bear’s absence?

When Duck goes for his daily visit to his neighbor Bear’s house, he finds a sign on the door that says “Gone fishin’ / Back next week.” Duck can’t believe his friend left him behind. Trekking through the woods, Bear’s happy to be away from his intrusive neighbor. Duck’s not—he can’t find anything to do with himself (and he tries a lot of diversions). But Bear does not find camping as easy as he thought; he’s not successful at fishing…and the woods can be scary at night. Something spooky comes out of the woods—much screaming ensues—but it’s only Duck, come to check on Bear and bringing his camping skills (and snacks). Bear’s actually glad to see his neighbor; camping’s more fun when not alone…but solitary Bear isn’t so sure how he feels when, once home, Duck says, “I’ll always be by your side, Bear. Always and forever.” John and Davies team up for a third (and possibly the best) tale of reluctant, one-sided friendship. The story, told entirely in the characters’ monologues (with a bit of dialogue toward the end), is dynamic and begs to be hammed up during read-alouds. Davies’ bright and funny illustrations are equal partners in the telling of the tale and its humor—Bear’s expressions say it all.

This odd Duck and grouchy Bear make an excellent pair. (Picture book. 3-8)

Pub Date: Dec. 5, 2017

ISBN: 978-0-06-237097-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2017

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

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THE COOL BEAN MAKES A SPLASH
by Jory John ; illustrated by Pete Oswald

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YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE THIS BOOK!
by Jory John ; illustrated by Olivier Tallec

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THE BIG CHEESE
by Jory John ; illustrated by Pete Oswald

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

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A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.

Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: March 16, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random

Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

PETE THE CAT'S 12 GROOVY DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

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PETE THE CAT'S 12 GROOVY DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

by James Dean ; illustrated by James Dean ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 18, 2018

Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among

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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)