An amusing exploration of how opposite personalities can learn to appreciate their unique relationship.
Hudson and Tallulah, dog and cat (respectively) neighbors and archenemies, find they can have some companionable moments.
Tallulah happily chases a bluebird in her yard, hears loud barking, climbs atop the property’s dividing fence, and sees Hudson busily digging a hole under the fence. “WHAT are you doing?” she demands. Hudson replies, “I’m busting out. Fences keep me trapped.” Tallulah disagrees: “Fences keep us safe.” But her curiosity wins the day, and she follows him down the block, where Hudson begins to explore an overfilled garbage can he calls a breakfast “feast.” Tallulah counters, “Feast? It’s garbage.” Then she begins to chase a butterfly. At the dog park Hudson is enthusiastically welcomed and Tallulah is uproariously rejected. “Why would anyone want a dog for a friend?” bemoans Tallulah, the white space above her crammed full of all-caps iterations of cat and bark. Charming cartoons convey the nearly wordless story augmented with dialogue between the two rivals. Hudson’s feisty, adventurous, fun-loving attitude parallels Tallulah’s elegant, proper persona, with the two arguing constantly until the opportunity to really enjoy something together presents itself via some play in a large bird-filled puddle. The frenemies soften their squabbling and end up side by side outside their respective yards. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 50% of actual size.)
An amusing exploration of how opposite personalities can learn to appreciate their unique relationship. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 27, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5420-0668-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Two Lions
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
A disappointing follow-up.
Inventor Izzy Gizmo is back in this sequel to her eponymous debut (2017).
While busily inventing one day, Izzy receives an invitation from the Genius Guild to their annual convention. Though Izzy’s “inventions…don’t always work,” Grandpa (apparently her sole caregiver) encourages her to go. The next day they undertake a long journey “over fields, hills, and waves” and “mile after mile” to isolated Technoff Isle. There, Izzy finds she must compete against four other kids to create the most impressive machine. The colorful, detail-rich illustrations chronicle how poor Izzy is thwarted at every turn by Abi von Lavish, a Veruca Salt–esque character who takes all the supplies for herself. But when Abi abandons her project, Izzy salvages the pieces and decides to take Grandpa’s advice to create a machine that “can really be put to good use.” A frustrated Izzy’s impatience with a friend almost foils her chance at the prize, but all’s well that ends well. There’s much to like: Brown-skinned inventor girl Izzy is an appealing character, it’s great to see a nurturing brown-skinned male caregiver, the idea of an “Invention Convention” is fun, and a sustainable-energy invention is laudable. However, these elements don’t make up for rhymes that often feel forced and a lackluster story.
A disappointing follow-up. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68263-164-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
A steady paean to time’s passing and the pleasures found along the way.
A front-seat view of a school bus’s long and varied life.
Deftly invoking the anthropomorphized objects in books of old (as in the works of Virginia Lee Burton), Long introduces readers to a small town and the yellow bus that serves it. Using charcoal and graphite, the author/artist portrays a mostly black-and-white world; he relies on colorful acrylics to depict those who enter the bus (who's described with female pronouns), including children ferried to school. Time goes on, and the bus is repurposed to take the elderly around town. Later, she’s abandoned near an overpass but finds a new role sheltering unhoused people. Finally, she’s taken to a farm, where she becomes a playground for goats. With each iteration, we hear the sounds of her passengers, human and otherwise, and the repeated phrase “And they filled her with joy.” At long last a damming project leaves her underwater, but fish find a home in the bus and make her happy. A final view of the town displays a single wavery point of yellow visible beneath the water. Backmatter explains both Long’s inspiration and the model town he made as a visual aid. Though this is a tale of decay over time, the book’s gentle narration, fun sound effects, and empathy grant the old vehicle dignity in her deconstruction. Characters are diverse.
A steady paean to time’s passing and the pleasures found along the way. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 25, 2024
ISBN: 9781250903136
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
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