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MR. BROWN'S BAD DAY

Name: MR. BROWN'S BAD DAY
Author: Lou Peacock
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1436-9

by Lou Peacock ; illustrated by Alison Friend ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 10, 2020

Laugh-out-loud fun and a lovely sweet ending.

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Everything about Mr. Brown, an anthropomorphic tiger, is very important.

He does important work in an important office, and he carries a briefcase filled with very important items. Every day he goes out for lunch in the park, sitting on a bench to eat, placing his briefcase next to him, thinking important thoughts. But on this day, unforeseen events disturb his usually predictable day. Mr. Brown’s briefcase has disappeared, and he sees a baby elephant is holding it as its carriage is wheeled away. So the mad chase begins. Just as he nears the carriage, the briefcase becomes hooked on an ice cream cart. Next it’s on a children’s carnival ride and then carried away on a school bus. Lots of breathless running and near misses ensue. A kind child (perhaps a koala) lends him a bike, and off he goes following the bus. Finally, nearly spent, he meets the children alighting from the bus, claims his briefcase and heads home. In a nice twist readers learn the contents of the briefcase—and they are indeed important. Peacock tells the tale in easy, approachable language, with bits of delightful repetition and Mr. Brown in turn calling, shouting, bellowing, and gasping his pleas. Friend’s sophisticated cartoon illustrations are full of surprises, adding an entirely new level to the work. Mr. Brown heads a hugely diverse cast of characters who are all anthropomorphic animals, depicted quite accurately but dressing, behaving, and speaking as humans. (Few are wearing bottoms, and none wear shoes.)

Laugh-out-loud fun and a lovely sweet ending. (Picture book. 3-8)

Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-5362-1436-9

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Nosy Crow

Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2020

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S HEALTH & DAILY LIVING

- BOOK REVIEW
A WHALE OF A TIME
edited by Lou Peacock ; illustrated by Matt Hunt

- BOOK REVIEW
CHARLIE CHOOSES
by Lou Peacock ; illustrated by Nicola Slater

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

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A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.

Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: March 16, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random

Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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THE LEAF THIEF

by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nicola Slater ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 2021

A hilarious autumnal comedy of errors.

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A confused squirrel overreacts to the falling autumn leaves.

Relaxing on a tree branch, Squirrel admires the red, gold, and orange leaves. Suddenly Squirrel screams, “One of my leaves is…MISSING!” Searching for the leaf, Squirrel tells Bird, “Someone stole my leaf!” Spying Mouse sailing in a leaf boat, Squirrel asks if Mouse stole the leaf. Mouse calmly replies in the negative. Bird reminds Squirrel it’s “perfectly normal to lose a leaf or two at this time of year.” Next morning Squirrel panics again, shrieking, “MORE LEAVES HAVE BEEN STOLEN!” Noticing Woodpecker arranging colorful leaves, Squirrel queries, “Are those my leaves?” Woodpecker tells Squirrel, “No.” Again, Bird assures Squirrel that no one’s taking the leaves and that the same thing happened last year, then encourages Squirrel to relax. Too wired to relax despite some yoga and a bath, the next day Squirrel cries “DISASTER” at the sight of bare branches. Frantic now, Squirrel becomes suspicious upon discovering Bird decorating with multicolored leaves. Is Bird the culprit? In response, Bird shows Squirrel the real Leaf Thief: the wind. Squirrel’s wildly dramatic, misguided, and hyperpossessive reaction to a routine seasonal event becomes a rib-tickling farce through clever use of varying type sizes and weights emphasizing his absurd verbal pronouncements as well as exaggerated, comic facial expressions and body language. Bold colors, arresting perspectives, and intense close-ups enhance Squirrel’s histrionics. Endnotes explain the science behind the phenomenon.

A hilarious autumnal comedy of errors. (Picture book. 4-7)