For Miss Spider's fans (Miss Spider's Wedding, 1995, etc.), another visit to the long-lashed, pointy-nosed arachnid and her garish, high-gloss world. Miss Spider and her fuss-budget husband Holley are test-driving cars cunningly fashioned from shells, plant and insect parts, and matchboxes (will youngsters pick up on the visual pun?). Miss Spider loves the first car she sees, but Holley insists on trying others, then—for no discernible reason— surreptitiously arranges to have her first choice delivered to her home as a surprise. The inconsequential narrative, spun out in doggerel verse, seems to exist mainly as an excuse for the clever pictures. The last page promises—threatens—a boat-buying expedition as a sequel. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-590-30713-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1997
A charming winner about purpose, bravery, and making one’s dreams come true.
Dedication and determination are everything.
Gabriel, an old elephant who lives by the sea, reminisces about visiting a lifeboat as a youngster. He loved watching the crew ready it to rescue sailors and enjoyed listening to them sing sea shanties. He longed to be so brave! When Gabriel asked to join them, they told him to return when he was older and stronger. Gabriel read about storms and sea rescues and practiced rowing. He grew older, stronger, and BIGGER. By the time he returned to the crew, Gabriel had unfortunately grown too large to fit into the boat. More intent than ever, Gabriel constructed his own vessel, singing mightily. Meanwhile, the fishing fleet set out, then ran into big trouble when a strong gale hit. The regular lifeboat team couldn’t help. Guess who rescued the sailors safely with his own powerful vessel? In the end, everyone decided to build a larger craft to accommodate everyone. By turns thrilling and warmly reassuring, this story demonstrates that resolve—and inclusion—wins out; readers will cheer for Gabriel all the way. Sailing through the narrative are vigorous shanties readers might well join in on. Fitting his animal cast out in thick sweaters and raincoats, Vere brings the Cornish setting to life beautifully. Gabriel cuts an endearing figure in the lively illustrations, rendered in a limited palette of soft oranges, grays, and blues.
A charming winner about purpose, bravery, and making one’s dreams come true. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9780525580904
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
Part of a spate of books intent on bringing the garbage collectors in children’s lives a little closer, this almost matches...
Listeners will quickly take up the percussive chorus—“Dump it in, smash it down, drive around the Trashy town! Is the trash truck full yet? NO”—as they follow burly Mr. Gilly, the garbage collector, on his rounds from park to pizza parlor and beyond.
Flinging cans and baskets around with ease, Mr. Gilly dances happily through streetscapes depicted with loud colors and large, blocky shapes; after a climactic visit to the dump, he roars home for a sudsy bath.
Part of a spate of books intent on bringing the garbage collectors in children’s lives a little closer, this almost matches Eve Merriam’s Bam Bam Bam (1995), also illustrated by Yaccarino, for sheer verbal and visual volume. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: April 30, 1999
ISBN: 0-06-027139-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1999
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