In a rollicking barnyard tale designed to create noise, an inquisitive bovine wants to know why the other farm animals don’t moo. As the cheerful cow greets each creature, it urges each to moo: “Good morning, Duck. Say Moo! Say Moo! If I say Moo, why don’t you?” All around the farm, from sheep to horse, the animals patiently explain the unique sounds they make. Their cumulative responses form a rambunctious chorus, as each newcomer vocalizes its particular sound, the others join in with their own signature calls. It is Owl’s ingenious explanation that resolves the dilemma for the perplexed heifer. Phillips’s lively tempo keeps the pace moving, inexorably drawing readers along to the cacophonous conclusion. En route, readers gain an introduction to a bevy of familiar creatures and their calls. Young children can exuberantly join in, Old Macdonald–style, on the chorus. The large figures of the animals in Lamut’s lush oil paintings are finely detailed and realistically rendered. Included in each spread is an additional, smaller illustration done in soft pastels depicting the featured animal’s favorite habitat: a grassy field (sheep) or a hollowed-out tree on a moonlit night (owl). These illustrations are framed by the animal’s sounds; e.g., “quack, quack, quack” . . . surrounds the duck picture. The overall effect offers readers plenty of learning opportunities while having fun. A boisterous tale featuring some preschool favorites that will have most read-aloud sessions sounding like a bustling farm. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: May 3, 2000
ISBN: 0-688-16802-7
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2000
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A young boy wonders aloud to a rabbit friend what he will be when he grows up and imagines some outrageous choices. “Puddle stomper,” “bubble gum popper,” “mixing-bowl licker,” “baby-sis soother” are just some of the 24 inspiringly creative vocations Spinelli’s young dreamer envisions in this pithy rhymed account. Aided by Liao’s cleverly integrated full-bleed mixed-media illustrations, which radiate every hue of the rainbow, and dynamic typesetting with words that swoop and dive, the author’s perspective on this adult-inspired question yields some refreshingly child-oriented answers. Given such an irresistible array of options—“So many jobs! / They’re all such fun”—the boy in the end decides, in an exuberant double gatefold, “I’m going to choose… / EVERY ONE!”—a conclusion befitting a generation expected to have more than six careers each. Without parents or peers around to corral this carefree child’s dreams, the possibilities of being whatever one wants appear both limitless and attainable. An inspired take on a timeless question. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: March 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-316-16226-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2010
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