A zany, rib-tickling bedtime tour de force.
Eschewing sleep, the froggies engage in bizarre nighttime capers.
This unusual bedtime book alerts readers with the bold opening message that “the froggies do NOT want to sleep.” Indeed! Instead, the froggies want to hop. Reasonable. They also want to practice the accordion, ride unicycles, and play dress up! Hmmm? They want to go on long country drives and “joust like knights.” OK. And they want to perform underwater ballet and “tame ferocious beasties”! Really? Pushing the envelope totally, the froggies want to sing opera while being shot from a cannon, fly spaceships, and engage in burping contests with ETs. But they absolutely do not want to sleep…maybe. Beginning with the froggies’ surreptitious exit from bed on the front endpapers, the realistically executed, fantastically conceived illustrations track the froggies’ nocturnal activities from the sublime to the ridiculous in a series of increasingly dramatic double-page spreads. Early images show leggy amphibians tiptoeing across the page before exuberantly hopping frogs jam-pack the spread. Hilarious scenes of frogs playing accordions, spinning on unicycles, dressing up in period costumes, speeding like Mr. Toad in a flashy red roadster, aerially jousting with toilet plungers, performing ballet lifts underwater, riding a submerged alligator (backward), operatically exploding from a cannon, and zipping through galaxies in a spaceship appropriately culminate on the rear endpapers with the exhausted froggies finally crashing into bed.
A zany, rib-tickling bedtime tour de force. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 8, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-58089-524-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2021
Relatable bedtime fare.
In this picture book from comedian Gatto, a little one embarks on a nighttime detective caper while also learning some calming techniques.
Tucked into bed, a light-skinned youngster with a mop of brown hair is almost ready to go to sleep, but something’s missing. Eyes wide, mouth agape, the child wonders, “Where’s Bearry?” The snuggly teddy is lost. Armed with a household map and magnifying glass and trailed by a pup sidekick, the tot searches high and low. “He’s not in the playroom / with my robot and blocks. / He’s not in the hamper / with all the stinky socks.” More searching comes up empty, and the increasingly distraught narrator worries, “Maybe he took a trip on the ferry? / Oh no! I’m freaking out! // WHERE’S BEARRY?!?!” Luckily, the youngster remembers to take a deep breath and count down from three. These actions help soothe the intrepid detective, and suddenly, all becomes clear. (Spoiler alert: Bearry is found.) The jaunty, singsong text trips up a bit here and there but propels the mystery forward. Flowers’ colorful art captures the wide range of emotions the youngster experiences: sadness, panic, serenity, and relief.
Relatable bedtime fare. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9780593750193
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
Sweet and silly—good enough for Halloween
The barnyard animals love Halloween. Farmer Brown does not. Sounds like the perfect time for tricks and treats!
Since Farmer Brown wants nothing to do with the scary holiday, “he leaves a bowl of candy on the porch….draws the shades and locks the door.” Out in the barn, though, the party is just getting started. Saturated watercolors show Cow dressed as a skeleton, the chickens looking quite ghostly and the sheep donning witch hats. As field mice and cats arrive, creepy sounds begin. The “crunch, crunch, crunching” and the “creak, creak, creaking” lead to a “tap, tap, tapping.” Hearing them, Farmer Brown peeks out his window to investigate. Readers will chuckle and easily recognize “the dark creature standing beneath the trees.” The farmer, however, runs to his bedroom to pull the covers up over his head. Now the sounds repeat, as the figure comes closer. This time, though, the tapping is followed by a “quack, quack, quackle.” Wait—“Quackle??” Farmer Brown goes out to the porch to find the candy bowl gone and a note on the door announcing, “Halloween Party at the barn!” The chorus of onomatopoeic phrases throughout the briskly paced text guarantees an interactive read-aloud, though fans of Duck’s earlier outings will miss their satiric bite.
Sweet and silly—good enough for Halloween . (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4424-6553-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2013
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