Readers will hope to see more of Henry Bear
Henry Bear’s parents have been entirely too much “fun” since he wished them so on his last birthday; on this birthday, he knows exactly what to wish for.
Mama and Papa Bear beg him to stay up past bedtime. “Just ten more minutes?…Pleeeeease?” Yawning, Henry Bear gets out of bed to play with his parents. They want to climb trees (“Higher!”), play on the swings, and ride bikes—but tomorrow is a school day, Henry Bear reminds them, and he puts himself to bed. Mama Bear serves chocolate cake for breakfast, and his parents suggest they all stay home and watch TV. Mama says school is boring, but Henry rushes off. At school he meets a new girl named Marjani, who appears to be dressed in a shalwar kameez with hijab. They become friends, and Henry Bear invites her over for his birthday. It’s a good thing she comes, because Mama Bear serves a big bowl of candy—no cake, since they “always” have that!—but thank goodness, Marjani brings him a cupcake with a candle on top. Henry Bear is lovable, and his humorous dilemma will resonate with any child who has ever wished their parents were more fun. The illustrations are simple yet sophisticated, with a distinct mustard-slate-brick color palette and multiple patterns. Henry Bear’s European-inspired town of cobblestone and tile roofs is the perfect setting for this funny, playful tale.
Readers will hope to see more of Henry Bear . (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 30, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-62672-332-0
Page Count: 45
Publisher: Neal Porter/Roaring Brook
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader!
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
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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