Younger siblings of the Mercy chapter-book lovers will find their way into the series with this first look, written just for...
To paraphrase an immortal spider, Mercy is some pig.
Mercy Watson, a “small and not at all ordinary” pig, is already the star of six early chapter books, well-known for her love of buttered toast and, of course, of Mr. and Mrs. Watson, the white couple who care for her. But how did Mercy come to live with the Watsons? And how did they discover her love for buttered toast? Written simply for the pre–chapter-book audience, with big, bright, often full-spread illustrations, this picture book offers an introduction to Mercy, “the porcine wonder,” with all the dramatic expressions and gentle humor of the chapter books and some irresistible pig cuteness sprinkled in for extra charm. Vivid colors cause each illustration to pop, with a retro style to the Watsons’ rosy cheeks, classic car, and rather traditional gender roles (Mrs. Watson vacuums, Mr. Watson polishes the car). An unnamed interracial family seen through a window references two characters introduced as school-age children in the fourth installment of the chapter-book series: Frank and Stella, he as a toddler and she as a baby. Since the target audience for this outing will have no familiarity with them, their presence mostly serves to underscore the otherwise all-white human cast.
Younger siblings of the Mercy chapter-book lovers will find their way into the series with this first look, written just for them . (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7753-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2019
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.
A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.
A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A funny tale about stress and an ever upping ante, with a comforting end.
Something is preventing Owl from falling asleep.
Owl leans back against his white pillow and headboard. “Squeek!” says something underneath the bed. Owl’s never heard that sound before, so he fastens his pink bathrobe and answers the front door. Nobody. It must be the wind; back to bed. Bidding himself goodnight, he climbs into bed—and hears the noise again. Time after time, he pops out of bed seeking the squeaker. Is it in the cupboard? He empties the shelves. Under the floor? He pulls up his floorboards. As Owl’s actions ratchet up—he destroys the roof and smashes the walls, all in search of the squeak—so does his anxiety. Not until he hunkers down in bed under the night sky (his bed is now outdoors, because the house’s roof and walls are gone), frantically clutching his pillow, does he see what readers have seen all along: a small, gray mouse. In simple illustrations with black outlines, textured coloring, and foreshortened perspective, Pizzoli plays mischievously with mouse placement. Sometimes the mouse is behind Owl or just out of his sightline; other times, the mouse is on a solid, orange-colored page across the spread from Owl, which removes him from Owl’s scene in a rather postmodern manner. Is the mouse toying with Owl? Who knows?
A funny tale about stress and an ever upping ante, with a comforting end. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 19, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4847-1275-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2016
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