People in houses are upended, and cats and dogs tumble down Willobee Street when Ma Brindle gets out her ``extra-large utensils,'' scratches up some dough, and rolls out a crust for her famous Sweet Dream Pie. Every known candy is mixed into an enormous batter, sending a chocolate tornado through the otherwise average neighborhood. A pie the size of a wading pool comes out of the oven as a clan of rotund, pop-eyed folks bring their giant appetites to gobble down not just one piece, but seconds, thirds, and more, despite Ma Brindle's warning. Wood parodies the gluttony as people and pets become sleepy-eyed sacks of potatoes from overeating—slumping over fences, lolling over windowsills, passing out under bushes. Giant-sized, round-bellied monsters overrun the streets until a broom-wielding Ma Brindle takes charge, setting things right. Teague, who previously collaborated with Wood on The Flying Dragon Room (1996), bends the rules and the landscape by using a distorted, skewed perspective with houses a-tilt, lampposts leaning, and beveled panoramic street scenes, often seen from an aerial view. It accentuates the author's fondness for the preposterous, and follows the badly paced text to a deflated ending. After the tall-tale build-up to the pie's alleged effects, the monsters amount to little more than a burp of indigestion. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-590-96204-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Blue Sky/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1998
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A book that will make young dog-owners smile in recognition and confirm dogless readers' worst suspicions about the mayhem caused by pets, even winsome ones. Sam, who bears passing resemblance to an affable golden retriever, is praised for fetching the family newspaper, and goes on to fetch every other newspaper on the block. In the next story, only the children love Sam's swimming; he is yelled at by lifeguards and fishermen alike when he splashes through every watering hole he can find. Finally, there is woe to the entire family when Sam is bored and lonely for one long night. Boland has an essential message, captured in both both story and illustrations of this Easy-to-Read: Kids and dogs belong together, especially when it's a fun-loving canine like Sam. An appealing tale. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-8037-1530-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1996
Sloat collaborates with Huffman, a Yu’pik storyteller, to infuse a traditional “origins” tale with the joy of creating. Hearing the old women of her village grumble that they have only tasteless crowberries for the fall feast’s akutaq—described as “Eskimo ice cream,” though the recipe at the end includes mixing in shredded fish and lard—young Anana carefully fashions three dolls, then sings and dances them to life. Away they bound, to cover the hills with cranberries, blueberries, and salmonberries. Sloat dresses her smiling figures in mixes of furs and brightly patterned garb, and sends them tumbling exuberantly through grassy tundra scenes as wildlife large and small gathers to look on. Despite obtrusively inserted pronunciations for Yu’pik words in the text, young readers will be captivated by the action, and by Anana’s infectious delight. (Picture book/folktale. 6-8)
Pub Date: June 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-88240-575-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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