On the planet Quirk, the Everything Machine gradually supplants both the drudgery and creativity of the populace, which on most days “just stayed in bed.” The industrious machine paints their houses, bakes their pies, scratches their backs and even colors Little Greebo Moonhead’s coloring book. Its sudden breakdown flummoxes the Quirkians; its protracted repair necessitates relearning lost skills. When the machine’s back online, its meddlesome expertise irks the newly resourceful citizens, who’ve rediscovered the satisfactions of DIY: Gardeners blossom, cooks mix it up and Little Greebo paints accomplished pictures. The Quirkian solution results in “Everything Park,” with one remaining role for the now–Rube Goldberg–ian apparatus. Layers of brushy, flat colors in clay-like textures hearken agreeably to Wallace and Grommit, while the omnipresent E.M.’s bloated, white, six-fingered hands evoke a domineering Mickey Mouse—a surely intentional, cleverly sinister send-up. The mix of comic panels, word bubbles and bird’s-eye tableaux is terrific; Novak even provides a Quirkian history lesson via visual flashbacks in old timey sepia and blue. Dystopian allegory, lively storytelling, giggle-worthy pictures, boy appeal—yup: Everything’s here. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-59643-268-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2009
A book that will make young dog-owners smile in recognition and confirm dogless readers' worst suspicions about the mayhem caused by pets, even winsome ones. Sam, who bears passing resemblance to an affable golden retriever, is praised for fetching the family newspaper, and goes on to fetch every other newspaper on the block. In the next story, only the children love Sam's swimming; he is yelled at by lifeguards and fishermen alike when he splashes through every watering hole he can find. Finally, there is woe to the entire family when Sam is bored and lonely for one long night. Boland has an essential message, captured in both both story and illustrations of this Easy-to-Read: Kids and dogs belong together, especially when it's a fun-loving canine like Sam. An appealing tale. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-8037-1530-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1996
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions.
Ellis, known for her illustrations for Colin Meloy’s Wildwood series, here riffs on the concept of “home.”
Shifting among homes mundane and speculative, contemporary and not, Ellis begins and ends with views of her own home and a peek into her studio. She highlights palaces and mansions, but she also takes readers to animal homes and a certain famously folkloric shoe (whose iconic Old Woman manages a passel of multiethnic kids absorbed in daring games). One spread showcases “some folks” who “live on the road”; a band unloads its tour bus in front of a theater marquee. Ellis’ compelling ink and gouache paintings, in a palette of blue-grays, sepia and brick red, depict scenes ranging from mythical, underwater Atlantis to a distant moonscape. Another spread, depicting a garden and large building under connected, transparent domes, invites readers to wonder: “Who in the world lives here? / And why?” (Earth is seen as a distant blue marble.) Some of Ellis’ chosen depictions, oddly juxtaposed and stripped of any historical or cultural context due to the stylized design and spare text, become stereotypical. “Some homes are boats. / Some homes are wigwams.” A sailing ship’s crew seems poised to land near a trio of men clad in breechcloths—otherwise unidentified and unremarked upon.
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6529-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014
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