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A GREAT BIG NIGHT

Name: A GREAT BIG NIGHT
Author: Kate Inglis
ISBN: 978-1-77108-908-1

by Kate Inglis ; illustrated by Josée Bisaillon ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2021

Riff-raff rules in this joyful, playful, high energy “great big night."

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The arrival of a troupe of itinerant musicians means it’s time for a “great big night” for all—except one grumbling grouse. When the “music train,” consisting of three frogs on painted bicycles with an eclectic assemblage of musical instruments, pedals into the “great green forest,” excited animals quickly gather. As the frogs play loud, bouncy music, the animals dance jigs, spin reels, sing, and stomp until Grouse intervenes, shouting, “No good comes from a ruckus,” and ordering them to “lay off this…this…RIFF-RAFF!” Then a thunderstorm sends everyone into hiding during a “long and boggle-eyed night,” but the following morning the sun shines for all—except Grouse, whose home and treasures have been destroyed. Before Grouse knows what’s happening, however, the frogs start playing their music, drawing all the animals “lickety-split” to help their grouchy, needy neighbor. The rhythmic, vibrant verse text, peppered with lively onomatopoeic sounds, dances off the pages, begging to be read aloud. Wild, whimsical, and slightly surreal illustrations, rendered in sprightly collage and brilliantly colored paint, perfectly capture the raucous energy of the jiving frogs and hilarious bevy of cavorting animals as well as the terror of the fierce storm and the harmonious, attitude-altering camaraderie of neighbors helping one another. Riff-raff rules in this joyful, playful, high energy “great big night." (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: March 1, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-77108-908-1

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Nimbus Publishing

Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS | CHILDREN'S POETRY

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HELLO, SUN!

by Lala Watkins ; illustrated by Lala Watkins ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 7, 2025

Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader!

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Fun with friends makes for a great day.

Norbit, a salmon-colored worm with a pink kerchief, joyfully greets the day and everyone he encounters. “Hello, friends! It’s time for fun with the sun! Let’s play!” He and his menagerie of forest pals—including the sun, who grows limbs and descends from the sky—exuberantly engage in various forms of physical activity such as jumping, going down a slide, spinning around, and watching the clouds go by. Young readers will readily relate, as these are games that most children are familiar with. As day turns to night, Norbit says farewell to Sun and welcomes Moon with an invitation to continue the fun. Watkins has created a vivid world of movement and merriment. Her illustrations feature bright bursts of color that match the energy of the text, with most sentences ending in an exclamation point. The author/illustrator incorporates many elements that make for an ideal early-reading experience (despite the use of a contraction or two): art free from clutter, text consisting of words with only one or two syllables, and repetition and recurring bits, such as a continued game of hide-and-seek with Sun. Inspired by never-before-seen sketches from the Dr. Seuss Collection archives at the University of California San Diego, this is the first title for Seuss Studios, a new imprint for original stories from “emerging authors and illustrators” who “honor Seuss’s hallmark spirit of creativity and imagination.”

Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader! (author's note) (Early reader. 5-8)

Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025

ISBN: 9780593646212

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Seuss Studios

Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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SANKOFA
by Eric Adjepong ; illustrated by Lala Watkins

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IZMELDA THE FAIREST DRAGON OF THEM ALL!
by Joan Marr ; illustrated by Lala Watkins

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by Angela H. Dale ; illustrated by Lala Watkins

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Awards & Accolades

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Our Verdict

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IndieBound Bestseller

THE WONKY DONKEY

by Craig Smith ; illustrated by Katz Cowley ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2010

Hee haw.

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Awards & Accolades

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75

Our Verdict

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IndieBound Bestseller

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)