Nothing new here, but readers inclined to indulge feline mischief will chuckle at the extremes on display.
A guileless, off-site narrator futilely entreats Fluffykins—green-eyed, ginger-furred, and utterly recalcitrant—to apologize for successive misdeeds.
Encounters with a glass vase of pink flowers and a basket of knitting yield predictably naughty results. The narrator ineffectively cajoles: “Now, that’s two things you need to apologize for…. / Fluffykins! What have you done now?” After attacking the sofa, the computer keyboard, the toilet paper, and the blinds and peeing on the floor, the cat’s banished outdoors. “Now go and think about what you’ve done.” A spell of rain brings the bedraggled cat to the window, customarily narrowed eyes now turned to saucers, and soon Fluffykins is indoors, making abbreviated amends: a belly-up posture of supplication and a “MEOOOW” that’s interpreted optimistically as self-reproach. “Thank you, Fluffykins. That wasn’t so hard, was it? Now, let’s clean everything up and forget all about it.” Of course, the incorrigible cat’s already on the goldfish bowl. O’Byrne ever so lightly anthropomorphizes her protagonist’s expressions, the cat’s heavy-lidded glare modulated by tiny changes in mouth position that give the cat a distinctively evil look—dramatically magnified by a view through the goldfish bowl on the final page. That fish is right to look terrified.
Nothing new here, but readers inclined to indulge feline mischief will chuckle at the extremes on display. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: April 13, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1728-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.
A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.
Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Innovative and thoroughly enjoyable.
You think you know shapes? Animals? Blend them together, and you might see them both a little differently!
What a mischievous twist on a concept book! With wordplay and a few groan-inducing puns, Neal creates connections among animals and shapes that are both unexpected and so seemingly obvious that readers might wonder why they didn’t see them all along. Of course, a “lazy turtle” meeting an oval would create the side-splitting combo of a “SLOW-VAL.” A dramatic page turn transforms a deeply saturated, clean-lined green oval by superimposing a head and turtle shell atop, with watery blue ripples completing the illusion. Minimal backgrounds and sketchy, impressionistic detailing keep the focus right on the zany animals. Beginning with simple shapes, the geometric forms become more complicated as the book advances, taking readers from a “soaring bird” that meets a triangle to become a “FLY-ANGLE” to a “sleepy lion” nonagon “YAWN-AGON.” Its companion text, Animal Colors, delves into color theory, this time creating entirely hybrid animals, such as the “GREEN WHION” with maned head and whale’s tail made from a “blue whale and a yellow lion.” It’s a compelling way to visualize color mixing, and like Animal Shapes, it’s got verve. Who doesn’t want to shout out that a yellow kangaroo/green moose blend is a “CHARTREUSE KANGAMOOSE”?
Innovative and thoroughly enjoyable. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0534-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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