Visceral illustrations give an incongruously disturbing feel to an otherwise charming tale.
An enthusiastic pig gets more than he can swallow in this folksy cautionary tale.
In a small Newfoundland town, a trio of hardworking fishermen are treated to a hearty meal of stew and dumplings. A chaotic chain of events ensues when a fisherman tosses a dumpling away. It’s caught in midair by Ignatius, an opportunistic pig, but the dumpling becomes lodged in his throat. Terrified and in pain, Ignatius escapes his pen, then makes a break for the ocean in the hopes of cooling his burning throat. The path to relief is not an easy one, and along the way Ignatius encounters many obtrusive townspeople. Pies go flying, laundry is entangled, and a cow and an old lady are nearly toppled, but Ignatius is determined to find relief. Finally, he’s knocked flat after slipping on some kelp, which dislodges the dumpling and saves poor Ignatius. Though this story is reminiscent of beloved folktale-esque stories such as Tomie dePaola’s Strega Nona (1975), with its emphasis on scenery and townspeople, the illustrations are unsettling. Evocative word choices (“scalding hot lump of gluey dough” and Ignatius’ “soundless terror”), combined with Tomova’s decision to highlight Ignatius’ irritated throat with pops of red, make many pictures appear gruesome and frightening; at times he appears to be bleeding from the mouth. All human characters in the book present white.
Visceral illustrations give an incongruously disturbing feel to an otherwise charming tale. (Picture book. 5-10)Pub Date: March 19, 2024
ISBN: 9781998802081
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Running the Goat
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader!
Fun with friends makes for a great day.
Norbit, a salmon-colored worm with a pink kerchief, joyfully greets the day and everyone he encounters. “Hello, friends! It’s time for fun with the sun! Let’s play!” He and his menagerie of forest pals—including the sun, who grows limbs and descends from the sky—exuberantly engage in various forms of physical activity such as jumping, going down a slide, spinning around, and watching the clouds go by. Young readers will readily relate, as these are games that most children are familiar with. As day turns to night, Norbit says farewell to Sun and welcomes Moon with an invitation to continue the fun. Watkins has created a vivid world of movement and merriment. Her illustrations feature bright bursts of color that match the energy of the text, with most sentences ending in an exclamation point. The author/illustrator incorporates many elements that make for an ideal early-reading experience (despite the use of a contraction or two): art free from clutter, text consisting of words with only one or two syllables, and repetition and recurring bits, such as a continued game of hide-and-seek with Sun. Inspired by never-before-seen sketches from the Dr. Seuss Collection archives at the University of California San Diego, this is the first title for Seuss Studios, a new imprint for original stories from “emerging authors and illustrators” who “honor Seuss’s hallmark spirit of creativity and imagination.”
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader! (author's note) (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780593646212
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Seuss Studios
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
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