Mr. Beagle learns to never judge a book by its cover in his latest engaging mystery.
In this sequel to Mr. Beagle Goes to Rabbittown (2021), Mr. Beagle tackles a mystery in a nearby neighborhood.
Visiting his cousin Georgie in Georgestown, Mr. Beagle learns a cat burglar has been breaking into houses all over the neighborhood, stealing storybooks and causing everyone to feel sad, especially at bedtime. Searching for the mysterious thief, Mr. Beagle notices cats working on ladders engaged in home renovation, painting window frames, and repairing a utility pole. However, Mr. Beagle’s nose tells him these “promising suspects” may not be the culprit. Then one night, the thief breaks into Georgie’s home and, surprisingly, is revealed to be a chagrined fox named Georgia who’s been “borrowing” storybooks all over the neighborhood without asking permission because she loves reading so much. Realizing he should never have assumed the thief was a cat, Mr. Beagle has an idea that may just remedy Georgia’s lack of books plus bring the community together. The understated text tells the story, but the amusing, droll illustrations provide the clues critical to solving the mystery. Drawn with slender black outlines, Doody’s tidy, detailed illustrations once again reduce buildings, animal characters, and objects to flat, intensely colored, simple shapes inviting close inspection. An appealing subtext stresses the importance of books and libraries to communities.
Mr. Beagle learns to never judge a book by its cover in his latest engaging mystery. (Early reader. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 10, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-927917-42-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Running the Goat
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2021
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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