Cleverly meta and totally fun, with a spoonful of (almost tongue-in-cheek) morals thrown in.
A motley crew of character types argues over what kind of book they are in, in this humorous meta-romp.
The text begins like a rebus: “Aa is for [a drawing of apples]” set on a bright yellow background. The capital A has eyes and a mouth, as does one of the apples in the small pile. But from across the gutter, a brown-skinned, curly-haired girl in a red, hooded cape peeks from the spread beyond, folding back the page and calling, “Hey! This is not an alphabet book!” A is disappointed but joins the girl on the next spread, which reads “ONCE UPON A TIME…” and is set in the woods. The girl assures A that the thing “lurking in the shadows” is going to be a wolf. But on the next spread, she is surprised when it is a robot that declares, “This is not that kind of book.” On come more changes in setting, and characters conscious of their own tropes and types vie for dominance over the narrative until at last they work together to discover the book’s important lesson: that they all belong. The narrative text shares space with dialogue bubbles, reinforcing the feeling of intrusion and interruption. Mantle’s clear and humorous illustrations give characters distinct personalities and go far to increase the playfulness and storyline with fake page turns and no-man’s-land white space.
Cleverly meta and totally fun, with a spoonful of (almost tongue-in-cheek) morals thrown in. (Picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-525-58029-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
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