A humorous depiction of life with a terrible toddler, always underscored by his family’s love.
A naughty child annoys his parents and older brother in a series of vignettes in this debut picture book.
Gabe has a dream life. He’s an only child, the center of his parents’ world: “Mom and Dad loved me and me alone.” Then Gabe’s little brother, Henry, arrives. At age 4, Gabe struggles with this new addition to the family. When Gabe reaches 5, things get even worse, as 1-year-old Henry turns life into a battle of wills. Dunlavey’s comical illustrations show a child in the midst of a terrifying toddlerhood, running naked through the house with a flying stream of toilet paper behind him, and leaving a sippy cup spilled on the floor alongside broken crayons and lamps. Meanwhile, a onesie with the message “Mommy’s little angel” hangs from a chandelier. Gabe laments that everyone, from waitresses to grocery store customers, hates his family. By 2, Henry hasn’t gotten any better, and spends an entire appointment at the doctor’s office trying to throw a kid’s chair through the office fish tank. He poops in the public pool and throws his sippy cup under the car’s brake. Despite these abysmal incidents, Gabe slowly begins to take Henry’s side. When the day care provider hands their mother yet another incident report, Gabe explains, “It wasn’t always Henry’s fault.” And at the horrible checkup, Gabe thinks, “Poor Henry. I don’t always like the doctor visits either.” While there’s no discernible reason for Gabe to sympathize with his brother in Giese’s tale, the boy’s wry voice and his growing love for such a troublesome sibling has a sweet, encouraging feel to it—even if the narrator does sleep with one eye open. Though most of Dunlavey’s illustrations, which realistically depict a Caucasian family in colored pencil with textured shading, show expressions of exasperation on the faces of everyone but Henry, some scenes reinforce the affection family members clearly feel for their young tyrant. For sheer giggles at Henry’s antics, this book should delight young readers, despite the lack of plot or character development.
A humorous depiction of life with a terrible toddler, always underscored by his family’s love.Pub Date: Dec. 11, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-692-80741-5
Page Count: 36
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: March 31, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
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BOOK REVIEW
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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
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