Can opposites be friends? Yes, but real friendship is not the one-way street depicted here.
Dillard explores friendship between two opposites.
It’s the first day of Zoo School. Amanda, a panda, is excited and ready. Alfred, an alligator, isn’t so sure: “Is this really necessary?” When the overbearing and bossy Amanda decides timid “Gator” will be her new best friend, does Alfred have any say? He reluctantly sits where she wants, shares his cookie with her and plays tag, though readers can clearly see his patience wearing thin. It finally snaps when Amanda wants to walk home together: Alfred declares that he won’t walk home with her, she’s not his best friend, and his name is Alfred, not Gator. Instead of relief, though, Alfred feels awful. The next day, the two are not friends, and each misses the other until Alfred finally takes the first step toward reconciliation. While the friendship aspect of the story seems pretty weak and the resolution is unrealistic, Dillard’s illustrations, a mix of spots and comic panels, deftly express the characters’ thoughts and feelings; while Amanda’s speech bubble reads “I LOVE sitting in the FRONT!” Alfred has a thought bubble picturing himself, alone, in a spotlight, under the glare of the grouchy-looking Mrs. Wattles. Amanda’s exuberance cannot be contained, as her out-thrown arms attest. Meanwhile, Alfred’s arms hide behind his back; would that he could hide there too. Eyebrows are especially expressive.
Can opposites be friends? Yes, but real friendship is not the one-way street depicted here. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-58536-890-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2014
Wins for compassion and for the refusal to let physical limitations hold one back.
With such short arms, how can Tiny T. Rex give a sad friend a hug?
Fleck goes for cute in the simple, minimally detailed illustrations, drawing the diminutive theropod with a chubby turquoise body and little nubs for limbs under a massive, squared-off head. Impelled by the sight of stegosaurian buddy Pointy looking glum, little Tiny sets out to attempt the seemingly impossible, a comforting hug. Having made the rounds seeking advice—the dino’s pea-green dad recommends math; purple, New Age aunt offers cucumber juice (“That is disgusting”); red mom tells him that it’s OK not to be able to hug (“You are tiny, but your heart is big!”), and blue and yellow older sibs suggest practice—Tiny takes up the last as the most immediately useful notion. Unfortunately, the “tree” the little reptile tries to hug turns out to be a pterodactyl’s leg. “Now I am falling,” Tiny notes in the consistently self-referential narrative. “I should not have let go.” Fortunately, Tiny lands on Pointy’s head, and the proclamation that though Rexes’ hugs may be tiny, “I will do my very best because you are my very best friend” proves just the mood-lightening ticket. “Thank you, Tiny. That was the biggest hug ever.” Young audiences always find the “clueless grown-ups” trope a knee-slapper, the overall tone never turns preachy, and Tiny’s instinctive kindness definitely puts him at (gentle) odds with the dinky dino star of Bob Shea’s Dinosaur Vs. series.
Wins for compassion and for the refusal to let physical limitations hold one back. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: March 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4521-7033-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 11, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Totes adorbs.
A cuddly, squishy pug’s puggy-wuggy diary.
Equipped with both #pugunicorn and #pughotdog outfits, pug Baron von Bubbles (aka Bub) is the kind of dog that always dresses to impress. Bub also makes lots of memorable faces, such as the “Hey, you’re not the boss of me!” expression aimed at Duchess, the snooty pink house cat. Some of Bub’s favorite things include skateboarding, a favorite teddy, and eating peanut butter. Bub also loves Bella, who adopted Bub from a fair—it was “love at first sniff.” Together, Bub and Bella do a lot of arts and crafts. Their latest project: entering Bella’s school’s inventor challenge by making a super-duper awesome rocket. But, when the pesky neighborhood squirrel, Nutz, makes off with Bub’s bear, Bub accidentally ruins their project. How will they win the contest? More importantly, how will Bella ever forgive him? May’s cutesy, full-color cartoon art sets the tone for this pug-tastic romp for the new-to–chapter-books crowd. Emojilike faces accentuate Bub’s already expressive character design. Bub’s infectious first-person narration pushes the silly factor off the charts. In addition to creating the look and feel of a diary, the lined paper helps readers follow the eight-chapter story. Most pages have fewer than five sentences, often broken into smaller sections. Additional text appears in color-coded speech bubbles. Bella presents white.
Totes adorbs. (Fiction. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-53003-2
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
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