Cute enough, but not likely to inspire repeated readings.
Alliteration and rhyme abound in Fuge’s latest, an abecedarian salute to anthropomorphized animals.
Fuge provides a nice mix of animals, including aardark, cobra, narwhal, sloth and vole, and readers will be pleasantly shocked to learn that Z is not for zebra. The author neatly sidesteps the difficulties of coming up with animals for all the letters (E is for egg). Large, red capital letters make it easy for learners to pick out the alphabet, while the text reinforces the sounds those letters make. Unfortunately, not every letter gets its own treatment: “G, girl gorilla, / H and I, hare on ice, / J, jolly jackal and his joyful, jumping mice.” While the rhyme sometimes stumbles (unicorn rhymed with Vaughn), the rollicking rhythm of the verses keeps the text moving, which is good, as page turns do not advance any sort of story—the stand-alone spreads rely on humor rather than narrative to engage audiences. The illustrations provide this whimsy, featuring realistically detailed animals partnered with amusing touches that bring the words to life—the pirate panther sports a gold hoop in his ear, while the dancing dodo is not complete without his straw hat and cane.
Cute enough, but not likely to inspire repeated readings. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4027-8645-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2011
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.
A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.
A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.
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)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
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