Kooky fare to help bolster little ones before a trip to the eye doctor.
What’s a dog to do when he can’t see as well as he used to?
Arlo the dog loves playing catch. But one day, he can’t catch anymore; the ball zooms right by him or bonks him on the nose. His owner is frustrated. Even after the owner shows Arlo how to catch, he still can’t do it. So it’s off to the eye doctor! The doctor uses a machine called a phoropter and asks Arlo to read an eye chart. His owner (who already has glasses) can read it clearly, but it’s blurry for Arlo. Arlo tries on a bunch of different glasses before finding the perfect pair (sensible half-moons with dog-bone accents on the sides). Arlo can play catch again, but the thing he likes to do best is read! Light on plot, this straightforward narrative is best geared toward those young ones needing or curious about glasses—or those who just like dogs. While the story is simple, the artwork is quirky, with some intentionally offbeat moments, like a dog being asked to read an eye chart or the zany rejected frames, though others are head-scratching: Arlo’s owner looks almost middle-aged on some pages, with thinning hair, but appears almost small, almost childlike, beside the eye doctor. Overall, the story’s cute but may not garner too many rereads. Arlo’s owner is light-skinned, while the eye doctor is tan-skinned.
Kooky fare to help bolster little ones before a trip to the eye doctor. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781523520985
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
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
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.
A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.
He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts. When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
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