A pun-filled, laugh-out-loud treat.
Sleeping is never the solution when your friends are around!
Rupert, Thistle, and Nibbs are three enthusiastic, toddlerlike mice who are full of questions and ready to continue their story, this time by breaking the fourth wall and leading their audience through an interactive (hyperactive?) reading experience. But first they want advice from Bruce, a blue bear who has been “in lots of books,” not coincidentally, those created by the tale’s celebrated author/illustrator, Higgins. The last thing Bruce wants to do is interact, however—he just wants to sleep! Readers and listeners are invited to close their eyes and tap, rock, tilt, shake, lift, and wobble the book and sketch on it with their fingers in order to move Bruce around and wake him up, though poor Bruce fights his friends at every turn, hoping only for some decent shut-eye. While adults will likely identify with the sleepy bear, kids will love the relentless energy of the mice, the accessible humor and wordplay, the very comical illustrations of the poor beleaguered Bruce, and the opportunity to move the book itself around and try to wake Bruce. Perfect for active and curious kids, this is sure to be a hit with young listeners and early readers alike. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A pun-filled, laugh-out-loud treat. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-368-08411-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022
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
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.
A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.
He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts. When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
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