On September 19, 1783, thousands of people visited Versailles to witness the launching of the Montgolfier brothers’ new-fangled hot-air balloon. “Ballooning’s first brave passengers,” as it turns out, were a duck, a sheep and a rooster. Priceman sets the stage for this historic event in the funniest, breeziest way imaginable, imploring readers to pay no mind to the hows and whys but instead to focus on the brave passengers, hilariously depicted as bug-eyed with fear, shown from above as the balloon goes up, up and away. From here on out, the book is almost wordless, presenting the trembling trio in comic strip–like panels as the barnyard animals become entangled in flyaway laundry and encounter various dangerously pointy objects, from a boy’s mischievous arrow (it proves helpful later) to a church spire (softened by an aforementioned sock) to the sharp-beaked bird who ultimately sends them spiraling. Priceman’s wonderful, vivacious black-ink and watercolor paintings—packed with comical details—add motion and buoyancy to an already soaring tale of a historic hot-air balloon ride. (author’s note, brief history of Montgolfier’s balloons) (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: July 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-689-82642-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Anne Schwartz/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2005
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
Turkey’s in the “kind of trouble where it’s almost Thanksgiving...and you’re the main course.” Accordingly, Turkey tries on disguise after disguise, from horse to cow to pig to sheep, at each iteration being told that he looks nothing like the animal he’s trying to mimic (which is quite true, as Harper’s quirky watercolors make crystal clear). He desperately squeezes a red rubber glove onto his head to pass as a rooster, only to overhear the farmer suggest a poultry plan B when he’s unable to turn up the turkey. Turkey’s horrified expression as he stands among the peppers and tomatoes—in November? Chalk it up to artistic license—is priceless, but his surroundings give him an idea. Good fun, but it may lead to a vegetarian table or two. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-7614-5529-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2009
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