Goofy and fun. Readers will look forward to future outings.
Three short chapters on camaraderie star a duo of polar-opposite reptiles.
Hat-wearing Croc brings the pessimism to Ally’s infectious positivity. The two don’t always get along, but they are excellent at compromising. In “Move Over,” Ally’s refusal to move on the sofa (they like being close to Croc) propels Croc to suggest that the pair trade in the sofa for two chairs. In “Mr. Grumpy Pants,” Ally reverses roles with Croc to show him what his grumpy face actually looks like. Likewise, Croc flips the script to show Ally their happy-go-lucky face (unintentionally turning his own frown upside down). In “The Moon Is Hiding,” the sleepy pals go on a nighttime hunt for the moon (Ally can’t sleep without finding it). Neither sees it, but Croc comes up with a creative solution. In fewer than 100 words, Anderson’s (Ten Pigs, 2015) early-reader debut is classic opposites-attract comedy. Added details, such as the books Ally reads (Grumpy No More and More Fun), reward discerning readers. The text has at most three sentences per page, each with a relatively small word count (at most 13). Anderson scales back his usual textured acrylic style in favor of sleek, black-outlined cartoon critters in mostly earth-tone surroundings. À la Frog and Toad, this duo’s friendship is staggeringly cute (the sole wordless double-page spread is a case in point, showing a confused Croc and blissfully oblivious Ally).
Goofy and fun. Readers will look forward to future outings. (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 25, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5247-8707-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
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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