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THERE'S A MOUSE HIDING IN THIS BOOK!

Name: THERE'S A MOUSE HIDING IN THIS BOOK!
Author: Benjamin Bird
ISBN: 978-1-62370-125-3

From the Tom and Jerry series

by Benjamin Bird ; illustrated by Comicup Studio ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 2014

A good use of well-worn characters.

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The 74-year-old animated-comedy duo goes meta!

In one of four picture books featuring Hanna-Barbera creations Tom cat and Jerry mouse, Tom is fed up with the way Jerry messes up his book. He asks readers to help him catch Jerry, prompting readers to turn the page quickly or slowly, to turn the light on or to shake the book. Depending on the situation, his level of urgency varies (those mousetraps he trips have some bearing on this). Realizing that if Jerry leaves the book, he will make a terrible mess in the outside world, Tom decides that the solution is to shut the book quickly! Bird constructs a flexible framework for the licensed characters to inhabit. Any antagonistic duo could speak the lines in the “story”—there’s nothing here that makes the book a uniquely Tom and Jerry tale despite Spike the dog’s guest appearance. The illustrations are closer to the 1970s and ’80s cartoons than the characters’ Academy Award–winning roots. Whether they are familiar or not with these characters, youngsters will enjoy a storytime or lap sit with this if it is read just right.

A good use of well-worn characters. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2014

ISBN: 978-1-62370-125-3

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Capstone Young Readers

Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
A BABY'S GUIDE TO SURVIVING DAD
by Benjamin Bird ; illustrated by Tiago Americo

WHEN I TALK TO GOD, I TALK ABOUT FEELINGS

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WHEN I TALK TO GOD, I TALK ABOUT FEELINGS

by Chrissy Metz & Bradley Collins ; illustrated by Lisa Fields ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 4, 2025

A tender book to help little ones make sense of the emotions around prayer.

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Actor Metz and songwriter Collins join illustrator Fields in their second faith-related title for young children.

Instead of focusing on the language of prayer—what to say or how to say it—this book explores a topic central to the lives of the very young: their feelings around talking to God. Rhymes and near-rhymes in the AABB verses enumerate the simple challenges and triumphs experienced by a series of animals: “Sometimes I’m sad, not sure what to do. / There are days I feel teary, unhappy, or blue. / I fell off a log. I’m embarrassed and hurt. / My coat and paws are all covered in dirt.” An accompanying illustration depicts a sad wolf pup, a definite contrast to its siblings, who are delighting in their play. The highlight of the book is Fields’ animal characters. Whether happy, nervous, or sad, their expressive faces are easy to read, and their feelings will be familiar to young tots. The beaver’s frustration is palpable, and the tears in the scared raccoon’s eyes may just make readers’ own eyes well up. Some of the animals have a God stand-in to help them with their feelings—a friend or family member—but the final spread shows all the individual animals coming together in a couple of group hugs that express where children can find support (and sweetly defy predator–prey relationships).

A tender book to help little ones make sense of the emotions around prayer. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: March 4, 2025

ISBN: 9780593691366

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Flamingo Books

Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S RELIGIOUS FICTION | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
WHEN I TALK TO GOD, I TALK ABOUT YOU
by Chrissy Metz & Bradley Collins ; illustrated by Lisa Fields

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HEY, DUCK!

by Carin Bramsen & illustrated by Carin Bramsen ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 22, 2013

A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.

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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)