by Bernadette Watts & illustrated by Bernadette Watts ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1997
Harvey Hare embodies all the traits that make letter carriers such bricks: Nature can't throw anything at him to prevent the swift completion of his appointed rounds. Spring rain, summer heat, autumn's winds, winter snow, Harvey Hare braves them all as he trudges over hill and through dale to deliver the goods: a bundle of twigs for the sparrows, a pair of spectacles for Mole, a bag of nuts for Squirrel. His work ethic hasn't been lost on his patrons; to show their affection and respect, they present him with an umbrella, fashioned of spring flowers and meadow grasses, to shield him from the elements. Watts pays gentle tribute to responsibility and fortitude, and while it's a bit of a one-note song, children will appreciate Harvey Hare's dauntlessness. What powers this book, though, are the unpretentious, elegant illustrations; Watts captures the moods of the seasons and provides the right measure of drama to prevent the story from becoming a treacly salute. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 1997
ISBN: 1-55858-687-3
Page Count: 28
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1997
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by Bernadette Watts ; illustrated by Bernadette Watts
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by Hans Christian Andersen ; illustrated by Bernadette Watts ; translated by Susannah Mary Paull
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by Gerda Marie Scheidl ; illustrated by Bernadette Watts
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by Aaron Reynolds ; illustrated by Peter Brown ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 22, 2017
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with...
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Reynolds and Brown have crafted a Halloween tale that balances a really spooky premise with the hilarity that accompanies any mention of underwear.
Jasper Rabbit needs new underwear. Plain White satisfies him until he spies them: “Creepy underwear! So creepy! So comfy! They were glorious.” The underwear of his dreams is a pair of radioactive-green briefs with a Frankenstein face on the front, the green color standing out all the more due to Brown’s choice to do the entire book in grayscale save for the underwear’s glowing green…and glow they do, as Jasper soon discovers. Despite his “I’m a big rabbit” assertion, that glow creeps him out, so he stuffs them in the hamper and dons Plain White. In the morning, though, he’s wearing green! He goes to increasing lengths to get rid of the glowing menace, but they don’t stay gone. It’s only when Jasper finally admits to himself that maybe he’s not such a big rabbit after all that he thinks of a clever solution to his fear of the dark. Brown’s illustrations keep the backgrounds and details simple so readers focus on Jasper’s every emotion, writ large on his expressive face. And careful observers will note that the underwear’s expression also changes, adding a bit more creep to the tale.
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with Dr. Seuss’ tale of animate, empty pants. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Aug. 22, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0298-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
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by Aaron Reynolds ; illustrated by Peter Brown
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by Aaron Reynolds ; illustrated by Cam Kendell
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by Doreen Cronin & illustrated by Harry Bliss ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 2005
The wriggly narrator of Diary of a Worm (2003) puts in occasional appearances, but it’s his arachnid buddy who takes center stage here, with terse, tongue-in-cheek comments on his likes (his close friend Fly, Charlotte’s Web), his dislikes (vacuums, people with big feet), nervous encounters with a huge Daddy Longlegs, his extended family—which includes a Grandpa more than willing to share hard-won wisdom (The secret to a long, happy life: “Never fall asleep in a shoe.”)—and mishaps both at spider school and on the human playground. Bliss endows his garden-dwellers with faces and the odd hat or other accessory, and creates cozy webs or burrows colorfully decorated with corks, scraps, plastic toys and other human detritus. Spider closes with the notion that we could all get along, “just like me and Fly,” if we but got to know one another. Once again, brilliantly hilarious. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-06-000153-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Joanna Cotler/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2005
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by Doreen Cronin ; illustrated by Brian Cronin
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by Doreen Cronin ; illustrated by Betsy Lewin
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