Beachgoers will appreciate this funny, punny day by the shore.
Will Turkey ever be able to enjoy the beach?
Farmer Jake has set up a petting zoo on the beach boardwalk for the Summer Children’s Festival. All the animals are “happy to be there….Mostly.” But Turkey wants to leave the enclosure and explore. “I’ve never even had a chance to walk on a beach!” he exclaims. “So…long time, no sea?” chuckles Rooster. “Baaaad joke!” says Sheep. More delightfully groanworthy puns are sprinkled throughout the story as Turkey, helped by his farm friends, attempts to sneak onto the beach. First, Turkey disguises himself as a crab with beach ball eyes, a life-preserver body, and toy shovel claws. “Turkey looked just like a crab…almost.” Turkey scuttles to the water but is soon discovered by the lifeguard and guided back to the petting zoo. Turkey also becomes a seashell, a surfer, and a shark. Unfortunately, his costumes don’t fool the lifeguard or Farmer Jake. When Farmer Jake falls asleep, Rooster has the “gobbledy-great idea” of entering the sand-sculpture contest. Turkey’s dream comes true when the animals’ “Turkey Town” sculpture wins the grand prize—a free stay at a house on their own private beach. Cartoon illustrations featuring sandy beiges and ocean blues add humor through exaggerated facial expressions and the details of Turkey’s costumes. Farmer Jake and the lifeguard present White; other humans are diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Beachgoers will appreciate this funny, punny day by the shore. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: May 9, 2023
ISBN: 9781662508356
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Two Lions
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A hilarious autumnal comedy of errors.
A confused squirrel overreacts to the falling autumn leaves.
Relaxing on a tree branch, Squirrel admires the red, gold, and orange leaves. Suddenly Squirrel screams, “One of my leaves is…MISSING!” Searching for the leaf, Squirrel tells Bird, “Someone stole my leaf!” Spying Mouse sailing in a leaf boat, Squirrel asks if Mouse stole the leaf. Mouse calmly replies in the negative. Bird reminds Squirrel it’s “perfectly normal to lose a leaf or two at this time of year.” Next morning Squirrel panics again, shrieking, “MORE LEAVES HAVE BEEN STOLEN!” Noticing Woodpecker arranging colorful leaves, Squirrel queries, “Are those my leaves?” Woodpecker tells Squirrel, “No.” Again, Bird assures Squirrel that no one’s taking the leaves and that the same thing happened last year, then encourages Squirrel to relax. Too wired to relax despite some yoga and a bath, the next day Squirrel cries “DISASTER” at the sight of bare branches. Frantic now, Squirrel becomes suspicious upon discovering Bird decorating with multicolored leaves. Is Bird the culprit? In response, Bird shows Squirrel the real Leaf Thief: the wind. Squirrel’s wildly dramatic, misguided, and hyperpossessive reaction to a routine seasonal event becomes a rib-tickling farce through clever use of varying type sizes and weights emphasizing his absurd verbal pronouncements as well as exaggerated, comic facial expressions and body language. Bold colors, arresting perspectives, and intense close-ups enhance Squirrel’s histrionics. Endnotes explain the science behind the phenomenon.
A hilarious autumnal comedy of errors. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-3520-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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