An unlikely duo in an unbelievable story that doesn’t quite feel well-constructed in the end.
An unpredictable tale of a surprising friendship.
Mr. Biddles, a feline inventor, builds various patented machines. His orderly if lonely world seems just right until an unexpected visitor, Hobson the lobster, appears on his doorstep. What begins as an assistantship soon becomes a friendship. When Hobson becomes homesick, Mr. Biddles designs the Super Lobster Sightseeing Sidecar for them to travel to see Hobson’s family. However, this quirky friendship story poses several unanswered questions. Hobson’s initial appearance, his intermittent need for an aquatic environment, and his sudden facility at invention complicate believability. Furthermore, a surfeit of inventions in the book reveals a missed opportunity. Just one detailed invention might have more tightly fastened the nuts and bolts of this unlikely friendship. Sophisticated vocabulary seems at times uncharacteristic: “tricked-out tank” and “cranked on the catnip diffuser.” Imaginative endpapers hint at distinctive mixed-media illustrations. One spread displays various inventions, sketches, and materials on a cluttered desk filled with details perfect for observant young readers. These details sometimes make it difficult to locate the text, printed on collaged-in scraps of lined paper, though. Some illustrations fall short: when Mr. Biddles extends a magnet toward his mailbox, the door remains closed, prompting readers to wonder whether his inventions work and whether he can indeed help his friend in need.
An unlikely duo in an unbelievable story that doesn’t quite feel well-constructed in the end. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Aug. 8, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-244114-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2017
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with...
Reynolds and Brown have crafted a Halloween tale that balances a really spooky premise with the hilarity that accompanies any mention of underwear.
Jasper Rabbit needs new underwear. Plain White satisfies him until he spies them: “Creepy underwear! So creepy! So comfy! They were glorious.” The underwear of his dreams is a pair of radioactive-green briefs with a Frankenstein face on the front, the green color standing out all the more due to Brown’s choice to do the entire book in grayscale save for the underwear’s glowing green…and glow they do, as Jasper soon discovers. Despite his “I’m a big rabbit” assertion, that glow creeps him out, so he stuffs them in the hamper and dons Plain White. In the morning, though, he’s wearing green! He goes to increasing lengths to get rid of the glowing menace, but they don’t stay gone. It’s only when Jasper finally admits to himself that maybe he’s not such a big rabbit after all that he thinks of a clever solution to his fear of the dark. Brown’s illustrations keep the backgrounds and details simple so readers focus on Jasper’s every emotion, writ large on his expressive face. And careful observers will note that the underwear’s expression also changes, adding a bit more creep to the tale.
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with Dr. Seuss’ tale of animate, empty pants. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Aug. 22, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0298-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted...
Reinvention is the name of the game for two blobs of clay.
A blue-eyed gray blob and a brown-eyed brown blob sit side by side, unsure as to what’s going to happen next. The gray anticipates an adventure, while the brown appears apprehensive. A pair of hands descends, and soon, amid a flurry of squishing and prodding and poking and sculpting, a handsome gray wolf and a stately brown owl emerge. The hands disappear, leaving the friends to their own devices. The owl is pleased, but the wolf convinces it that the best is yet to come. An ear pulled here and an extra eye placed there, and before you can shake a carving stick, a spurt of frenetic self-exploration—expressed as a tangled black scribble—reveals a succession of smug hybrid beasts. After all, the opportunity to become a “pig-e-phant” doesn’t come around every day. But the sound of approaching footsteps panics the pair of Picassos. How are they going to “fix [them]selves” on time? Soon a hippopotamus and peacock are staring bug-eyed at a returning pair of astonished hands. The creative naiveté of the “clay mates” is perfectly captured by Petty’s feisty, spot-on dialogue: “This was your idea…and it was a BAD one.” Eldridge’s endearing sculpted images are photographed against the stark white background of an artist’s work table to great effect.
The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted fun of their own . (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 20, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-316-30311-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
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