A fine addition to the sleepy sheepy canon.
A tired rooster just wants to get to sleep…now if only he can count the sheep.
Rooster settles down in bed to count himself to sleep with the classic device of counting sheep jumping over fences. He gets as far as three, but then Chicken hurdles the fence. “Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! A CHICKEN?! / I’m sorry, but this is serious bedtime business. / I count SHEEP, okay? Just sheep!” A few more sheep jump, but then Pig puts in an appearance. Again, Rooster tells the farmyard that all he wants to count is sheep. Three more sheep hop over, but then Cow (in crown and tutu) leaps the fence. “Cock-a-doodle-DO WE NEED TO REVIEW? / Counting SHEEP helps me sleep.” Still awake, the rooster gets as far as 10 sheep, but then seven chicks “cheep” outside his coop. Rooster sternly addresses each animal in turn; each tries bleating like a sheep, but he tells them what sound they should make. All seems to be in order…but then all the sheep jump into the lake with Duck with a “Quack!” The solution? All his non-ovine friends, dressed as sheep, jump over the fence to lull their friend to sleep. Sauer’s bedtime barnyard book will work well for a nighttime read, with the caveat that Cummings’ silly cartoons will incite giggles here and there. The wide-eyed, smiling critters and the deadpan humor are a good pairing. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A fine addition to the sleepy sheepy canon. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 19, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4197-4630-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
A successful swap from coconut tree to Christmas tree.
A Christmas edition of the beloved alphabet book.
The story starts off nearly identically to Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989), written by John Archambault and the late Bill Martin Jr, with the letters A, B, and C deciding to meet in the branches of a tree. This time, they’re attempting to scale a Christmas tree, not a coconut tree, and the letters are strung together like garland. A, B, and C are joined by the other letters, and of course they all “slip, slop, topple, plop!” right down the tree. At the bottom, they discover an assortment of gifts, all in a variety of shapes. As a team, the letters and presents organize themselves to get back up on the Christmas tree and get a star to the top. Holiday iterations of favorite tales often fall flat, but this take succeeds. The gifts are an easy way to reinforce another preschool concept—shapes—and the text uses just enough of the original to be familiar. The rhyming works, sticking to the cadence of the source material. The illustrations pay homage to the late Lois Ehlert’s, featuring the same bold block letters, though they lack some of the whimsy and personality of the original. Otherwise, everything is similarly brightly colored and simply drawn. Those familiar with the classic will be drawn to this one, but newcomers can enjoy it on its own.
A successful swap from coconut tree to Christmas tree. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665954761
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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
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