Amusing if somewhat restrained.
The sequel to The Library Fish (2022) lets little ones know that reading is for everyone—including our aquatic friends.
Library Fish has a satisfying life in a bowl on the desk of librarian Mr. Hughes. She loves watching children browse the shelves, but her favorite moment is storytime. When Mr. Hughes shares a book about a dog who learns to read, Library Fish is inspired. After the library closes for the night, she emerges from her bowl (a bubble of water securely on her head) and begins to learn her ABCs: “Hour after hour, night after night, she made sure she knew every letter and each sound it made. F for fish was one of her favorites. Z-z-z-z’s were always welcome after a long night’s work.” Capucilli emphasizes the hard work that often goes into acquiring this skill. The story might be a little too long and a little too quiet for many new readers, as the resolution after the protagonist masters reading—Library Fish deciding to read a book to her friend the Bookmobile—is implied rather than seen, and there’s little fanfare for the accomplishment. Many children will enjoy the colorful digital illustrations depicting an endearingly expressive Library Fish and a diverse group of patrons who frequent the library. Ultimately, though, it may be librarians and educators who appreciate this story more than the intended audience. Mr. Hughes presents as Black. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Amusing if somewhat restrained. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-5344-7707-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022
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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