Humorous and endearing, worth sharing with human and furry friends alike.
When a new dog comes into Tim’s life, his canine best friend, Tuffy, is left wondering where he stands.
“Tuffy loved Tim. And Tim loved Tuffy.” However, Tim also loves Ultra Dog, “the ultra-est dog in the universe!” He loves everything about Ultra Dog: the TV show, books, games, and apparel—even the underwear. Despite Tim’s obsession with the fictional pooch, however, Tuffy is still pretty sure that Tim loves him, until the neighbor cat begins sowing seeds of doubt. With the cherished relationship in question, Tuffy tries to prove he is as worthy of Tim’s love and attention as Ultra Dog. He strives to be the most obedient, most helpful, most affectionate dog a kid could ask for. The ultra-est, even. When Tuffy’s attempts to impress ultimately backfire, he learns the true depth of Tim’s love and friendship. Truly, a dog is a boy’s best friend, and the feeling is mutual. Utilizing comic conventions, including speech bubbles and paneled illustrations, Hanmer’s bright and dynamic visuals add energy and physical comedy to Tuffy’s anxious attempts to secure his friendship. Wilson’s plot is sure to entertain, but it will also resonate on a deeper level with anyone who has ever felt envious of a new friend, sibling, or pet. Tim and his parents share the same straight, black hair and tan skin; Tim wears his hair long, in pleasing defiance of gender norms.
Humorous and endearing, worth sharing with human and furry friends alike. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 15, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-77147-318-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An immersive, charming read and convincing proof again that even small bodies can house stout hearts.
Can knightly deeds bring together a feathered odd couple who are on opposite daily schedules?
Having won over a dragon (and millions of fans) in the Caldecott Honor–winning Knight Owl (2022), the fierce yet impossibly cute nocturnal, armor-clad owlet faces a new challenge—sleep deprivation—in the wake of taking on Early Bird, a trainee who rises with the sun and chatters interminably: “I made pancakes! Do you like pancakes? I love pancakes! Where’s the syrup?” It’s enough to test the patience of even the knightliest of owls, and eventually Knight Owl explodes in anger. But although Early Bird is even smaller than her mentor, she turns out to be just as determined to achieve knighthood. After he tells her to leave, she acquits herself so nobly in a climactic encounter with a pack of wolves that she earns a place at the castle. Denise proves a dab hand at depicting genuinely slinky, scary wolves as well as slipping cheerfully anachronistic newspapers and other sight gags into his realistically wrought medieval settings to underscore the tale’s tongue-in-cheek tone. Better yet, a final view of the doughty duo sitting down together to a lavish pancake breakfast/dinner at dusk ends the episode in a sweet rush of syrup and bonhomie.
An immersive, charming read and convincing proof again that even small bodies can house stout hearts. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9780316564526
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
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