Provides some fun and some learning, but a bland effort overall.
Seek and you will find—or will you?
Marshland animals decide to play hide-and-seek and designate Turtle as “it.” They hide while Turtle counts to 10 slowly (and incorrectly). Heron doesn’t know where to hide and tries a few places, only to discover that someone’s already ensconced there. Each time, Heron asks, “Is this a good spot?” only to be told, “No, this is my spot!” The animals also explain why their spot is ideal: “I blend right in,” or “I like to play in the mud.” Observant readers will notice that each lurking animal resembles its hiding place. Eventually, Heron finds a place that seems perfect—just as Turtle finishes counting and begins seeking her friends. Initially, they can’t be found, but then Turtle locates them, except Heron. Finally, Heron emerges from the marsh grasses to greet the others. Originally published in Belgium, this brief, thin story should appeal to fans of the popular game; it also offers a simple lesson in camouflage and may spark conversations about the topic. A few quibbles: Most of the animals aren’t named until later in the story, so readers can’t identify them from the outset. Realistic-looking animal portrayals would have served the story much better, especially in the manatee’s case; its very inexact, odd-looking depiction isn’t consistent. Some explanatory backmatter on the featured animals and information about their “hiding places” also would have been helpful.
Provides some fun and some learning, but a bland effort overall. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: July 23, 2024
ISBN: 9781605378329
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clavis
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
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
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers.
Echoing the meter of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” Ward uses catchy original rhymes to describe the variety of nests birds create.
Each sweet stanza is complemented by a factual, engaging description of the nesting habits of each bird. Some of the notes are intriguing, such as the fact that the hummingbird uses flexible spider web to construct its cup-shaped nest so the nest will stretch as the chicks grow. An especially endearing nesting behavior is that of the emperor penguin, who, with unbelievable patience, incubates the egg between his tummy and his feet for up to 60 days. The author clearly feels a mission to impart her extensive knowledge of birds and bird behavior to the very young, and she’s found an appealing and attractive way to accomplish this. The simple rhymes on the left page of each spread, written from the young bird’s perspective, will appeal to younger children, and the notes on the right-hand page of each spread provide more complex factual information that will help parents answer further questions and satisfy the curiosity of older children. Jenkins’ accomplished collage illustrations of common bird species—woodpecker, hummingbird, cowbird, emperor penguin, eagle, owl, wren—as well as exotics, such as flamingoes and hornbills, are characteristically naturalistic and accurate in detail.
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers. (author’s note, further resources) (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-2116-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
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