Readers will eagerly follow along as this kindly, adroit, and eco-friendly builder leads the way.
Engineering alone can’t solve this unusual construction problem.
Hank the canine, looming over his three-dog crew, “always knows what to do.” The others drive “the dozer, the dump truck, the digger,” but Hank scans the blueprints, as well as surveying, measuring, hammering, doing engine repairs, and teaching the others a welding technique. The team members are raising the one-piece roof when they see a nest: Two birds that have been observing the work (flip back to spot them!) have built themselves a home. Hank wants to banish the birds to a distant tree, but surprisingly the crew spontaneously improvises a worker-scarecrow to protect the nest, giving Hank time to notice the eggs inside. Hank rethinks, replans, and graciously thanks the team as the birds enjoy their new green roof (which is made of materials that allow plants to flourish, per the backmatter). Well-chosen rhymes flow naturally and will help beginning readers with tricky words (stuff/rough). In the lively cartoon illustrations, the dogs wear work gloves, work boots, goggles, and hard hats. Orange, red, and yellow complement gray-blue washes. Scale is happily sacrificed to clarity, and the crew’s lunch atop a dangling I-beam cleverly references the famous 1932 Rockefeller Center steelworkers photo. Backmatter instructions for making a planter will require adult guidance. Construction fans and environmentalists alike will be hankering for Hank!
Readers will eagerly follow along as this kindly, adroit, and eco-friendly builder leads the way. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781368108294
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Still, preschoolers will likely savor this mouthwatering treatment of a subject that looms large in many early school...
The familiar theme of the challenges facing a new kid in town is given an original treatment by photographer Border in this book of photos of three-dimensional objects in a simple modeled landscape.
Peanut Butter is represented by a slice of white bread spread with the popular condiment. The other characters in the story—a hamburger with a pair of hot dogs in tow, a bowl of alphabet soup, a meatball jumping a rope of spaghetti, a carton of French fries and a pink cupcake—are represented by skillfully crafted models of these foods, anthropomorphized using simple wire construction. Rejected by each character in turn in his search for playmates, Peanut Butter discovers in the end that Jelly is his true match (not Cupcake, as the title suggests), perhaps because she is the only one who looks like him, being a slice of white bread spread with jelly. The friendly foods end up happily playing soccer together. Some parents may have trouble with the unabashedly happy depiction of carbs and American junk food (no carrots or celery sticks in this landscape), and others may find themselves troubled by the implication that friendship across difference is impossible.
Still, preschoolers will likely savor this mouthwatering treatment of a subject that looms large in many early school experiences. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 29, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-399-16773-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2014
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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