A quick, if shallow, moral fable for lovers of farm stories.
Gus the Goose’s negligence endangers baby rabbits.
In Davis and Fistere’s (Gus the Goose, 2020) second Gus book, Farmer Brown, a short, White, green-aproned farmer, has to leave to watch his “wandering cows.” During his absence, he puts Gus the Goose in charge of watching baby rabbits in their cage. The farmer warns Gus not to let the rabbits out—“eagles or possums” might eat them. Soon after Farmer Brown departs, the rabbits persuade the goose to release them, and they promptly scatter. The danger escalates when Gus sees a hawk “circulating” in the sky. The hawk carries off one of the babies; flying fast, Gus manages to intimidate the raptor into dropping its prey and carries it home—only to find Farmer Brown waiting at the cage to scold him. “Gus understood how important rules are, and never again would he make the mistake of not following them,” the text concludes, without nuance. Astute readers may respond that absolute obedience toward authority isn’t actually always necessary. Fistere’s flat, cartoonish paintings in bright colors illuminate Gus’ chaotic scramble for the rabbits; some images of the farm from above, populated with a variety of animals in different enclosures, might function as an entertaining “I Spy” game if the page’s format was larger. Gus’ haste to capture the baby rabbit is illustrated with effective comedy. Page composition seems scattered, though, and the images add little depth to the narrative.
A quick, if shallow, moral fable for lovers of farm stories.Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-64764-873-2
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Waldorf Publishing
Review Posted Online: Oct. 24, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Echoes of Runaway Bunny color this exchange between a bath-averse piglet and his patient mother. Using a strategy that would probably be a nonstarter in real life, the mother deflects her stubborn offspring’s string of bath-free occupational conceits with appeals to reason: “Pirates NEVER EVER take baths!” “Pirates don’t get seasick either. But you do.” “Yeesh. I’m an astronaut, okay?” “Well, it is hard to bathe in zero gravity. It’s hard to poop and pee in zero gravity too!” And so on, until Mom’s enticing promise of treasure in the deep sea persuades her little Treasure Hunter to take a dive. Chunky figures surrounded by lots of bright white space in Segal’s minimally detailed watercolors keep the visuals as simple as the plotline. The language isn’t quite as basic, though, and as it rendered entirely in dialogue—Mother Pig’s lines are italicized—adult readers will have to work hard at their vocal characterizations for it to make any sense. Moreover, younger audiences (any audiences, come to that) may wonder what the piggy’s watery closing “EUREKA!!!” is all about too. Not particularly persuasive, but this might coax a few young porkers to get their trotters into the tub. (Picture book. 4-6)
Pub Date: March 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-399-25425-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
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