In this latest entry in their series using food as modeling material, Freymann and Elffers (Gus and Button, 2001, etc.) turn their talents for clever puns, both visual and verbal, to the world of dogs. The cover photo shows an appealing dachshund made from bananas, with curved pieces of peel hanging down as the dog’s ears and the tiny black banana end serving nicely as the dog’s nose. There are good dogs made of lettuce, potatoes, artichokes, and cauliflower, a bad dog made of green pepper who knocks over a lamp, and then it’s on to the punny dogs: a hot dog who has burned his seat on a flame-shaped peach, a shivering chilly dog next to a mushroom snowman, and on and on. Every possible dog-themed expression is included (top dog, underdog, lucky dog, pup tent, and many more), with all the dogs and their appropriate gear created from food items. (A list of all the foods used is included on the back cover.) The dogs are attractively photographed on different brightly colored backgrounds with each dog expression in large, contrasting type that is slightly askew, as though each letter was hand-stamped. At first, this volume might seem to have a limited audience of younger children, but it could well serve as an easy reader for students of all ages (including adults), as a pun-filled treat for young gifted students, and as a thoughtful gift to cheer up any dog lover. (Picture book. 3-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-439-11016-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Levine/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2002
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
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