The two funniest, most winsome cows on the early-reading circuit have to be Minnie and Moo, always ready to engage any situation with a mixture of slapstick (Moo), sangfroid (Minnie), and a comical use of language. Here, the two are sleeping out under the stars when a storm blows in, bringing lightning and thunder. A bolt hits a nearby barn: “Lightning flashed. Thunder rumbled. There was a scream in the night.” The scream is that of a rooster who is convinced there is a monster in the barn. “Every chicken for himself,” the rooster squawks. Olga, a piglet, is missing, and worse still, when the animals flee to the farmhouse, it appears that the farmer’s leg has been pulled off by the monster and thrown out the window. At least it appears so to the animals; readers will notice rather quickly that the “leg” is an apple-tree branch. It takes Minnie’s sensible head to straighten things out, including the discovery of Olga, shimmering with a halo of electricity after standing too close to the milker when lightning struck. Deceptively sophisticated artwork and lively language—“ ‘Poor Olga,’ a pig wept. ‘Gone,’ cried another. ‘Gone, gone, gone,’ said Zeke. ‘Like a turkey through the corn,’ said Zack”—make this a joy for new readers to tackle. (Easy reader. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-06-623748-3
Page Count: 48
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2001
A book that will make young dog-owners smile in recognition and confirm dogless readers' worst suspicions about the mayhem caused by pets, even winsome ones. Sam, who bears passing resemblance to an affable golden retriever, is praised for fetching the family newspaper, and goes on to fetch every other newspaper on the block. In the next story, only the children love Sam's swimming; he is yelled at by lifeguards and fishermen alike when he splashes through every watering hole he can find. Finally, there is woe to the entire family when Sam is bored and lonely for one long night. Boland has an essential message, captured in both both story and illustrations of this Easy-to-Read: Kids and dogs belong together, especially when it's a fun-loving canine like Sam. An appealing tale. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-8037-1530-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1996
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions.
Ellis, known for her illustrations for Colin Meloy’s Wildwood series, here riffs on the concept of “home.”
Shifting among homes mundane and speculative, contemporary and not, Ellis begins and ends with views of her own home and a peek into her studio. She highlights palaces and mansions, but she also takes readers to animal homes and a certain famously folkloric shoe (whose iconic Old Woman manages a passel of multiethnic kids absorbed in daring games). One spread showcases “some folks” who “live on the road”; a band unloads its tour bus in front of a theater marquee. Ellis’ compelling ink and gouache paintings, in a palette of blue-grays, sepia and brick red, depict scenes ranging from mythical, underwater Atlantis to a distant moonscape. Another spread, depicting a garden and large building under connected, transparent domes, invites readers to wonder: “Who in the world lives here? / And why?” (Earth is seen as a distant blue marble.) Some of Ellis’ chosen depictions, oddly juxtaposed and stripped of any historical or cultural context due to the stylized design and spare text, become stereotypical. “Some homes are boats. / Some homes are wigwams.” A sailing ship’s crew seems poised to land near a trio of men clad in breechcloths—otherwise unidentified and unremarked upon.
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6529-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014
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