An engaging, lively addition to the Mother Goose canon.
Who wouldn’t want to gallivant with Mother Goose?
Chanting the classic nursery rhyme “Girls and Boys Come Out To Play,” that esteemed avian invites a bevy of kids from a city neighborhood to leave their homes and join her for an evening of merriment. The racially diverse, pajama-clad, stuffed-animal–toting children eagerly accept the invitation, accompanied by some dogs and cats. Whom do these adventurers meet on their nighttime jaunt? Why, none other than some of Mother Goose’s most famous characters, including Old King Cole, Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill, the fiddling cat from “Hey Diddle Diddle,” and the three men in the tub. After some playtime and a filling repast they help prepare, the kids are more than ready for Mother Goose to lead them home to bed; the exhausted, happy wanderers are last seen all comfortably tucked in, live and toy pets in tow. Text is kept to a minimum on spreads, and the old-fashioned language of the brief narrative is charming. The cheery, bouncy text of the rhyme could turn out to become a favorite of young readers/listeners sitting in laps or hearing this in group sessions. The loose pen-and-ink–and-watercolor illustrations suit the action well, suggesting energetic movement and lighthearted activity. A “cast of characters” is identified at the beginning of the book. Front and rear endpapers each include eight well-known Mother Goose rhymes. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 64% of actual size.)
An engaging, lively addition to the Mother Goose canon. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 30, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4713-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Margaret Ferguson/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2021
While there are many rhyming truck books out there, this stands out for being a collection of poems.
Rhyming poems introduce children to anthropomorphized trucks of all sorts, as well as the jobs that they do.
Adorable multiethnic children are the drivers of these 16 trucks—from construction equipment to city trucks, rescue vehicles and a semi—easily standing in for readers, a point made very clear on the final spread. Varying rhyme schemes and poem lengths help keep readers’ attention. For the most part, the rhymes and rhythms work, as in this, from “Cement Mixer”: “No time to wait; / he can’t sit still. / He has to beg your pardon. / For if he dawdles on the way, / his slushy load will harden.” Slonim’s trucks each sport an expressive pair of eyes, but the anthropomorphism stops there, at least in the pictures—Vestergaard sometimes takes it too far, as in “Bulldozer”: “He’s not a bully, either, / although he’s big and tough. / He waits his turn, plays well with friends, / and pushes just enough.” A few trucks’ jobs get short shrift, to mixed effect: “Skid-Steer Loader” focuses on how this truck moves without the typical steering wheel, but “Semi” runs with a royalty analogy and fails to truly impart any knowledge. The acrylic-and-charcoal artwork, set against white backgrounds, keeps the focus on the trucks and the jobs they are doing.
While there are many rhyming truck books out there, this stands out for being a collection of poems. (Picture book/poetry. 3-6)Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-7636-5078-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 28, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance.
A boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too.
Norman, a “perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Percival (The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. Black-and-white illustrations show his father with dark skin and hair and his mother as white. The contrast of black-and-white illustrations with splashes of bright color complements the story’s theme. While Norman tries to be “normal,” the world and people around him look black and gray, but his coat stands out in yellow. Birds pop from the page in pink, green, and blue, emphasizing the joy and beauty of flying free. The final spread, full of bright color and multiracial children in flight, sets the mood for Norman’s realization on the last page that there is “no such thing as perfectly normal,” but he can be “perfectly Norman.”
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-785-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
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