In Repchuk’s clever, if clumsily rhymed and paced, remake of this oddly popular fable (Margery Cuyler’s Roadsigns: A Hare-y Race with a Tortoise, 2000; Lucy Floyd’s Rabbit and Turtle Go To School, 2000; Helen Ward’s Hare and the Tortoise, 1999; etc.), Tortoise and Hare race from England to New York City—the long way ’round. Tortoise saunters aboard an ocean liner; Hare roars off in a zippy red sports car. As Tortoise enjoys cocktails and leisurely stopovers, Hare runs into a series of misadventures—“Hare shot down the raging river. / That poor old bunny was all aquiver. / He sped past snatching claws—and jaws!— / then hauled himself up with tired paws”—arriving at the finish to find Tortoise there ahead of him. “Poor Hare, he was sadly deflated. / It turned out that speed was overrated. . . .” Though the race’s result is the same, there’s a certain reversal of character here that makes for a refreshing change—and young viewers may enjoy picking out from Jay’s crackle-finished scenes the famous landmarks the harried Hare passes on his disaster-strewn journey. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-8118-3500-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2002
Amusing but a little off tempo.
It’s important to hit all the right notes.
A tan-skinned musical composer with puffy black hair is busy at work on his next musical masterpiece when Half Note, a music symbol denoting two beats, feels unappreciated. Half Note is jealous of the more commonly used Quarter Note (one beat) and Eighth Note. Although the other musical symbols attempt to calm and comfort Half Note, she decides to run away. The next day, Composer needs Half Note and panics when he realizes that she’s gone. The other notes and musical symbols try to find her, but it’s only when they try to play her favorite song, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” without her—with terrible results—that she comes running back. The story’s humor—which is largely based on “dad joke” puns—is completely dependent on readers’ musical knowledge. The artwork, a mix of acrylic and colored pencil, attempts to add some allegrezza to the piece, and while it’s not unsuccessful, it’s facing an uphill battle. Music teachers and musically minded caregivers may find some value in this story, but it will likely be too specialized for general readers. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Amusing but a little off tempo. (glossary) (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: March 14, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-64567-631-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Page Street
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses.
An NBA star pays tribute to the influence of his grandfather.
In the same vein as his Long Shot (2009), illustrated by Frank Morrison, this latest from Paul prioritizes values and character: “My granddad Papa Chilly had dreams that came true,” he writes, “so maybe if I listen and watch him, / mine will too.” So it is that the wide-eyed Black child in the simply drawn illustrations rises early to get to the playground hoops before anyone else, watches his elder working hard and respecting others, hears him cheering along with the rest of the family from the stands during games, and recalls in a prose afterword that his grandfather wasn’t one to lecture but taught by example. Paul mentions in both the text and the backmatter that Papa Chilly was the first African American to own a service station in North Carolina (his presumed dream) but not that he was killed in a robbery, which has the effect of keeping the overall tone positive and the instructional content one-dimensional. Figures in the pictures are mostly dark-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-81003-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
