A delightful tale of friendship.
In three sweet, funny stories, a calm crocodile and an excitable alligator complement each other perfectly.
In “Ally Has Spots,” Ally the gator is upset to discover they have orange spots and further dismayed when Croc delivers the news that they will not wash off: “They are part of you.” To make Ally feel better, Croc agrees to be painted with orange spots to match Ally. In “Ally Is Ready!” Ally is outfitted in a suit of armor, armed with an umbrella and a flashlight, and claims to be ready for anything, but when Croc heads off for lunch, Ally throws off the gear and follows. Finally, in “The Best in the World,” Ally, inspired by a video of a high-jumping frog, longs to be the best at something. Ally fails at everything they try—except, Croc counters, “being Ally.” These two have the vibe of some of the best early reader duos; like Frog and Toad or Elephant and Piggie, they have deep affection for each other and support each other’s efforts, as silly as they may seem. Ally is lively and emotional, while Croc is steady and philosophical, gently delivering lessons to a receptive Ally—and the reader, too. The cartoonish figures in slightly different shades of green (again, like Frog and Toad) display facial expressions and body language that will help early readers make sense of their dialogue, and the humor stands up to rereading. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A delightful tale of friendship. (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: July 26, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-38762-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2022
Inspiration, shrink wrapped.
From an artist, poet, and Instagram celebrity, a pep talk for all who question where a new road might lead.
Opening by asking readers, “Have you ever wanted to go in a different direction,” the unnamed narrator describes having such a feeling and then witnessing the appearance of a new road “almost as if it were magic.” “Where do you lead?” the narrator asks. The Road’s twice-iterated response—“Be a leader and find out”—bookends a dialogue in which a traveler’s anxieties are answered by platitudes. “What if I fall?” worries the narrator in a stylized, faux hand-lettered type Wade’s Instagram followers will recognize. The Road’s dialogue and the narration are set in a chunky, sans-serif type with no quotation marks, so the one flows into the other confusingly. “Everyone falls at some point, said the Road. / But I will always be there when you land.” Narrator: “What if the world around us is filled with hate?” Road: “Lead it to love.” Narrator: “What if I feel stuck?” Road: “Keep going.” De Moyencourt illustrates this colloquy with luminous scenes of a small, brown-skinned child, face turned away from viewers so all they see is a mop of blond curls. The child steps into an urban mural, walks along a winding country road through broad rural landscapes and scary woods, climbs a rugged metaphorical mountain, then comes to stand at last, Little Prince–like, on a tiny blue and green planet. Wade’s closing claim that her message isn’t meant just for children is likely superfluous…in fact, forget the just.
Inspiration, shrink wrapped. (Picture book. 6-8, adult)Pub Date: March 23, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-26949-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 7, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
A lesson that never grows old, enacted with verve by two favorite friends
Gerald the elephant learns a truth familiar to every preschooler—heck, every human: “Waiting is not easy!”
When Piggie cartwheels up to Gerald announcing that she has a surprise for him, Gerald is less than pleased to learn that the “surprise is a surprise.” Gerald pumps Piggie for information (it’s big, it’s pretty, and they can share it), but Piggie holds fast on this basic principle: Gerald will have to wait. Gerald lets out an almighty “GROAN!” Variations on this basic exchange occur throughout the day; Gerald pleads, Piggie insists they must wait; Gerald groans. As the day turns to twilight (signaled by the backgrounds that darken from mauve to gray to charcoal), Gerald gets grumpy. “WE HAVE WASTED THE WHOLE DAY!…And for WHAT!?” Piggie then gestures up to the Milky Way, which an awed Gerald acknowledges “was worth the wait.” Willems relies even more than usual on the slightest of changes in posture, layout and typography, as two waiting figures can’t help but be pretty static. At one point, Piggie assumes the lotus position, infuriating Gerald. Most amusingly, Gerald’s elephantine groans assume weighty physicality in spread-filling speech bubbles that knock Piggie to the ground. And the spectacular, photo-collaged images of the Milky Way that dwarf the two friends makes it clear that it was indeed worth the wait.
A lesson that never grows old, enacted with verve by two favorite friends . (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4231-9957-1
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2014
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