An amusing mystery with a cute canine protagonist.
A dog searches for his missing belongings and friends in this picture book.
Puppa, an Australian shepherd, can’t find his beloved teacup. It is not on the bedside table where he left it. He wonders: “Was porcelain plundered as I counted sheep?” The canine hopes to enlist his friends in his hunt for the thief, but they are missing, too. For example, his pal Matcha is not in the toy box “where I left him.” Perplexed, Puppa decides to fix himself a snack, but the kitchen is bare: Even the cabinets are empty. He is determined to catch the perpetrator, because “this doggone mess has ruined my day.” Puppa grows hungry and thirsty (“I need a hot cuppa, a muffin, a waffle”). When he smells delicious aromas, he follows his nose and discovers his friends enjoying a party: “All of my pals were here the whole time! Nothing was stolen. There was no crime.” They even saved Puppa a special seat. The pooch exclaims: “Breakfast with friends is my cup of tea!” Anastasia’s fun story features a dash of mystery that is clever and kid-friendly. Readers will enjoy following Puppa’s movements. Saunders’ adorable illustrations depict the canine’s search. The detailed party scenes featuring a table full of treats are especially delightful. The images include anthropomorphic details, like Puppa’s red scarf. They also depict elements of the dog’s imagination, such as various foods, and indicate that his pals are toys or pillows.
An amusing mystery with a cute canine protagonist.Pub Date: Nov. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-952425-02-8
Page Count: 34
Publisher: Jackal Moon Press
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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