A somewhat scrambled mystery that still offers some farmyard fun.
A sleuthing chicken follows a trail of clues to try to solve an age-old question.
For her very first case, Inspector Poulet’s friends bring her a big one: Why did the Chicken—who, with her sister the Egg, rules the roost at the henhouse—cross the road? With each new tip or clue, Inspector Poulet gets closer to solving the mystery, but a twist lands the plucky investigator at the center of the solution. Eagle-eyed readers will pick up on hints to the story’s ending by paying close attention to the illustrations. The text is littered with chicken and farm puns, and though they’re admittedly well used, there are so many that they become a distraction. The central mystery is very tongue-in-cheek, but it’s a convoluted push to arrive at the story’s ending. Inspector Poulet wears a chicken-size brown trench coat and flower-adorned fedora. The chickens have large, round eyes with long eyelashes that are largely responsible for conveying their expressions. Setting the scene well with cartoon artwork and making effective use of light and shadow, Fearing relies on varying page layouts and perspectives; some images are split panes, while others are inset in larger illustrations. Though the storyline is muddy, youngsters will enjoy discovering new clues on repeat readings.
A somewhat scrambled mystery that still offers some farmyard fun. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2025
ISBN: 9780823458271
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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