A misbehaved mule gets an etiquette lesson in Edwards’s (Little Brown Hen’s Shower, p. 410, etc.) humorous tale. “What would you do if a mule knocked on your door one day and said ‘I’ve come for lunch?’ ” asks the opening spread. “You’d say, ‘Hello! Come in, Mule.’ ” But rudeness ensues as the mule resists his host’s suggestions, then throws a tantrum when he doesn’t get his way. Each time, the boy waits patiently until his guest acquiesces. (“What if he came in and sat down at the table? You’d say ‘Mule, wash your hooves before lunch.’ But what if he said ‘Won’t!’ You’d say, ‘No lunch for you then.’ ”) Nascimbeni’s (Small Brown Dog’s Bad Remembering Day, 2000, etc.) saturated mixed-media illustrations provide vivid accompaniment as the meal gets progressively messier. A full-bleed illustration steeped in heady tones of tomato red and rust orange depicts the mule slurping spaghetti. Curly noodles loop through the air as the boy nearly falls off his seat. Opposite, a vignette shows the boy standing up to the horrible house guest (“Mule, eat your food quietly”). By the end, a series of vignettes shows the pair riding a toy train, playing hide and seek, blowing bubbles, and, finally, taking a nap—the rewards of proper behavior. For fans of Laura Numeroff’s Mouse stories (below), Edward’s effort may seem like déjà vu. But by making her host cool as cucumber and totally in charge, Edwards gives her tale a twist. It’s Emily Post for the preschool set, an appealing and laugh-inducing introduction to civilized living. (author’s note on mules) (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-8050-7007-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Continuing to find inspiration in the work of Virginia Lee Burton, Munro Leaf and other illustrators of the past, Long (The Little Engine That Could, 2005) offers an aw-shucks friendship tale that features a small but hardworking tractor (“putt puff puttedy chuff”) with a Little Toot–style face and a big-eared young descendant of Ferdinand the bull who gets stuck in deep, gooey mud. After the big new yellow tractor, crowds of overalls-clad locals and a red fire engine all fail to pull her out, the little tractor (who had been left behind the barn to rust after the arrival of the new tractor) comes putt-puff-puttedy-chuff-ing down the hill to entice his terrified bovine buddy successfully back to dry ground. Short on internal logic but long on creamy scenes of calf and tractor either gamboling energetically with a gaggle of McCloskey-like geese through neutral-toned fields or resting peacefully in the shade of a gnarled tree (apple, not cork), the episode will certainly draw nostalgic adults. Considering the author’s track record and influences, it may find a welcome from younger audiences too. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-399-25248-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2009
SEEN & HEARD
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones.
Not even the arrival of autumn can cool down this impetuous squirrel.
Although Squirrel is skeptical about Bird’s vegetable patch (“Nothing is HAPPENING!”), Bird does produce five (count them) lovely pumpkins. Squirrel picks out a favorite: “The enormous orange one.” Bird hints that Squirrel might want to help out; Squirrel sets out to fetch some work gloves and returns to find only four pumpkins. The frequently distracted Squirrel notices more gourds disappearing and leaps to the conclusion that a thief is near. And where’s Bird?! Has Squirrel’s pal also been taken? Diligently detecting, Squirrel finds clues—peck marks, footprints, and more—and produces a sketch of the suspect. As readers will guess, each clue turns out to point to one of Squirrel and Bird’s friends. Turns out Bird was delivering pumpkins to their pals while saving the big one to give to “my very best friend,” Squirrel. But why does Squirrel haul it up a tree? “So the Pumpkin Thief can’t find it, of course!” A page of pumpkin facts provides the learning component common to all titles in this series. Once more, readers will enjoy the pleasure of prediction and repetition, Squirrel’s silly persistence, Bird’s generosity, and the vibrant color illustrations, balancing orange with green.
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 28, 2026
ISBN: 9781464268076
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2026
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