Weeks continues her watery-themed flow of beginning readers (Splish, Splash!, not reviewed) with this entry in the I Can Read Book series. A charmingly domesticated rodent named Pip Squeak is struggling with that perplexing problem every homeowner dreads: the drips and drops and plips and plops of a leaky roof in a major rainstorm. Poor Pip Squeak is ready to snooze in yellow-striped pajamas and dapper bathrobe, longing to rest his head on his pillow printed with slices of Swiss cheese. Instead, he spends his entire night racing from one dripping leak to another, using every available container to catch the drops. The story is told in simple, short sentences with repeating phrases, picture clues, and a variety of simple rhyme schemes that help new readers predict the text. The straightforward but amusing story and large, clear illustrations also make Drip, Drop an appropriate choice for a group story session for preschoolers, perhaps for a thematic story hour focusing on mice or water. Manning’s (Cindy Ellen, p. 636, etc.) droll illustrations use a contemporary palette of mango and lavender, with lots of light blue raindrops, and she fashions an appealing personality for the unfortunate mouse, who finally gets to nap in the morning when the sun comes up. It’s hard to create a strong easy reader that works as both a teaching tool and an effective picture book, but Pip Squeak has the muscle to carry it off. A solid choice for the easy reader shelves in both public and school libraries. (Junior Library Guild selection) (Easy reader. 4-7)
Pub Date: Aug. 31, 2000
ISBN: 0-06-028523-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2000
Pedestrian.
Mr. Brown can’t help with farm chores because his shoes are missing—a common occurrence in his household and likely in many readers’ as well.
Children will be delighted that the titular Mr. Brown is in fact a child. After Mr. Brown looks in his closet and sorts through his other family members’ shoes with no luck, his father and his siblings help him search the farm. Eventually—after colorful pages that enable readers to spot footwear hiding—the family gives up on their hunt, and Mr. Brown asks to be carried around for the chores. He rides on his father’s shoulders as Papa gets his work done, as seen on a double-page spread of vignettes. The resolution is more of a lesson for the adult readers than for children, a saccharine moment where father and son express their joy that the missing shoes gave them the opportunity for togetherness—with advice for other parents to appreciate those fleeting moments themselves. Though the art is bright and cheerful, taking advantage of the setting, it occasionally is misaligned with the text (for example, the text states that Mr. Brown is wearing his favorite green shirt while the illustration is of a shirt with wide stripes of white and teal blue, which could confuse readers at the point where they’re trying to figure out which family member is Mr. Brown). The family is light-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Pedestrian. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 14, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-5460-0389-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: WorthyKids/Ideals
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
In the siblings' latest adventure, their grandmother is having a birthday (again! see Bunny Cakes, p. 67), so Ruby takes Max shopping. A music box with skating ballerinas is Ruby's idea of the perfect present; Max favors a set of plastic vampire teeth. Ruby's $15 goes fast, and somehow, most of it is spent on Max. The music box of Ruby's dreams costs $100, so she settles for musical earrings instead. There isn't even a dollar left for the bus, so Max digs out his lucky quarter and phones Grandma, who drives them home—happily wearing her new earrings and vampire teeth. As ever, Wells's sympathies are with the underdog: Max, in one-word sentences, out-maneuvers his officious sister once again. Most six- year-olds will be able to do the mental subtraction necessary to keep track of Ruby's money, and Wells helps by illustrating the wallet and its dwindling contents at the bottom of each page where a transaction occurs. Younger children may need to follow the author's suggestion and have an adult photocopy the ``bunny money'' on the endpapers, so they can count it out. Either way, the book is a great adjunct to primary-grade math lessons. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-8037-2146-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1997
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