Saltzberg follows up the success of The Problem with Pumpkins (2001) with this endearing tale of best friends and a birthday. In “Birthday Wishes,” the first of three short chapters, Hip hints around to her bunny pal. Humorous pen-and-ink, watercolor, and colored-pencil vignettes show the hippo drawing pictures of roller skates, trimming the hedges in the shape of skates, and flying a kite to which she’s taped a sign (“Royal Roller Rink”). “By the end of the week, Hip was sure Hop had to know how much she wanted to go to the Royal Roller Rink and rent roller skates.” But in Chapter Two, “Hip, Hip, Hooray Day!,” Hip is unhappy when Hop presents her with a slew of unsatisfying gifts, including a coupon for sorting her socks. Naturally, the two have a blowout. “You obviously don’t know what fun is,” says Hip. “I left hints all week. If you were really my best friend, you would have known how I wanted to spend my birthday.” The final chapter, “Surprise,” is a double whammy. When Hip sits down at the piano to play a birthday tune, the keys won’t work. That’s because their friend Peapod has hidden the real present—a pair of roller skates—inside. “I told you I would find a special way to wrap your present for Hip.” The second in an ongoing series, Saltzberg’s lighthearted portrayal of the complexities of friendship will strike a familiar chord with readers. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-15-202495-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Gulliver/Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2002
Continuing to find inspiration in the work of Virginia Lee Burton, Munro Leaf and other illustrators of the past, Long (The Little Engine That Could, 2005) offers an aw-shucks friendship tale that features a small but hardworking tractor (“putt puff puttedy chuff”) with a Little Toot–style face and a big-eared young descendant of Ferdinand the bull who gets stuck in deep, gooey mud. After the big new yellow tractor, crowds of overalls-clad locals and a red fire engine all fail to pull her out, the little tractor (who had been left behind the barn to rust after the arrival of the new tractor) comes putt-puff-puttedy-chuff-ing down the hill to entice his terrified bovine buddy successfully back to dry ground. Short on internal logic but long on creamy scenes of calf and tractor either gamboling energetically with a gaggle of McCloskey-like geese through neutral-toned fields or resting peacefully in the shade of a gnarled tree (apple, not cork), the episode will certainly draw nostalgic adults. Considering the author’s track record and influences, it may find a welcome from younger audiences too. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-399-25248-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2009
SEEN & HEARD
Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind.
The cool beans again step up to do a timorous fellow legume a fava…this time at the pool.
Will a rash decision to tackle the multistory super-slide lead to another embarrassing watery fail for our shy protagonist? Nope, for up the stairs right behind comes a trio of cool beans, each a different type and color, all clad in nothing but dark shades. They make an offer: “It’s not as scary if you go with friends!” As the knobby nerd explains once the thrilling ride down is done, “They all realized that I just needed some encouragement and support.” Just to make sure that both cool and uncool readers get the message, the narrator lets us know that “there are plenty of kind folks who have my back. They’re always there when I need them.” The beany bonhomie doesn’t end at the bottom of the slide, with all gliding down to the shallow end of the pool (“3 INCHES. NO DIVING”) for a splashy finale. This latest early reader starring characters from John and Oswald’s immensely popular Food Group series will be a hit with fans. Fun accessories, such as a bean who rocks pink cat-eye frames, add some pizzazz to the chromatically and somatotypically varied cast.
Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind. (Easy reader. 5-7)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9780063329560
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
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