An ocean of delights awaits readers in this sea-lebration. Kids will fin-ish quickly and clam-or for more.
Santa Shark is swimming to town!
Edgar the shark is tingling with excitement. It’s late December, and he’s preparing for Santa Shark’s arrival. His bestie, Lotta Crab, hasn’t heard of Santa Shark but quickly gets caught up in Edgar’s fervor as he explains—and loudly sings about—what the preparations entail in an uproarious account brimming with sly marine-themed puns, from “Jingle shells” to “We fish you a Merry Christmas.” Some clever puns may sail over kids’ heads (the “Christmas cods” include messages like “Let minnow if you have a good Christmas” and “carp-e diem”). Apart from the zingy text, there’s plenty to capture young readers’ attention. Dynamic illustrations highlight the protagonists’ expressiveness and lively participation in a variety of activities; some images are set as captioned panels within larger illustrations. The eye-popping text is literally all over the place, graphic novel–style. Fonts are in various sizes and colors and are capitalized throughout. Kids will giggle at the sight of the white-bearded, bushy-browed Santa Shark, who rides a sleigh pulled by seahorses. Bug-eyed, snaggle-toothed Edgar, sporting a sweater festooned with snowflakes, is a hilarious hoot, and bright-red, antennae-eyed Lotta is a loyal charmer who creates a wondrous surprise for Edgar that brings their undersea observance to a perfect close.
An ocean of delights awaits readers in this sea-lebration. Kids will fin-ish quickly and clam-or for more. (Picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2023
ISBN: 9781338803952
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 29, 2023
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
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