Everyone is a-buzz because the ball is about to begin! Mr. Mosquito, debonair in his top hat and tails, makes a grand entrance. Cockroaches, bedbugs, gnats and fleas—all are resplendent in Roaring Twenties attire. But wait. Eeeeeegad! What is that? An enormous bear is headed straight toward the party. Amidst the shrieking ladybugs and freaking fireflies, Mr. Mosquito gallantly steps forward, gathering his relatives and leading the charge: “Prepare! Point antennae! Deploy! / We swarm out tonight / to drive BIG FEET from sight. / Are you ready? Get set. Go annoy!!!!” Morrow’s staccato rhymes propel the story with a jaunty beat and inspire an exalted tone for a read-aloud—quite fitting for such an elegant occasion. As expected, bug puns abound in both text and art (some more forced than others), but Goembel’s insects are impeccably precise, even while dripping in beads and feathers. Pair this gala with Dee Lillegard’s The Big Bug Ball (1999), illustrated by Rex Barron, and storytime will become the social event of the year. Six-legged black tie required. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-8234-2072-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2009
BOOK REVIEW
Turkey’s in the “kind of trouble where it’s almost Thanksgiving...and you’re the main course.” Accordingly, Turkey tries on disguise after disguise, from horse to cow to pig to sheep, at each iteration being told that he looks nothing like the animal he’s trying to mimic (which is quite true, as Harper’s quirky watercolors make crystal clear). He desperately squeezes a red rubber glove onto his head to pass as a rooster, only to overhear the farmer suggest a poultry plan B when he’s unable to turn up the turkey. Turkey’s horrified expression as he stands among the peppers and tomatoes—in November? Chalk it up to artistic license—is priceless, but his surroundings give him an idea. Good fun, but it may lead to a vegetarian table or two. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-7614-5529-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2009
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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