A book for emergent readers to befriend.
Can Pig and Cat’s friendship endure when Dog appears on the scene?
Many early readers include an odd-couple pair of friends whose interactions create the central drama of the plot. Not so in Florian’s latest offering: Pig and Cat enjoy all the same things, and they enjoy doing them together. Rather than presenting a clash due to individual differences, Florian boosts the tension when Pig befriends Dog and leaves Cat in the dust. The text reads, “Cat is all alone. / Cat is sad,” while accompanying crayon-and–colored-pencil illustrations use expressive techniques to isolate Cat and visually convey its sadness. The consciously childlike illustrations succeed in communicating emotion and offer many whimsical details that provide visual interest, but they may prove a bit busy for those working to find and decode the limited, controlled text on the pages, which seems aimed at the very newest of readers. This concern aside, readers of all abilities will grasp the story’s happy ending: although Pig doesn’t prove to be a terribly sensitive or attentive friend, Dog notices Cat’s distress and says, “You can play with us,” ushering in a conclusion in which “Pig and Cat and Dog are pals.”
A book for emergent readers to befriend. (Early reader. 5-7)Pub Date: Feb. 13, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3858-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 20, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2018
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Totes adorbs.
A cuddly, squishy pug’s puggy-wuggy diary.
Equipped with both #pugunicorn and #pughotdog outfits, pug Baron von Bubbles (aka Bub) is the kind of dog that always dresses to impress. Bub also makes lots of memorable faces, such as the “Hey, you’re not the boss of me!” expression aimed at Duchess, the snooty pink house cat. Some of Bub’s favorite things include skateboarding, a favorite teddy, and eating peanut butter. Bub also loves Bella, who adopted Bub from a fair—it was “love at first sniff.” Together, Bub and Bella do a lot of arts and crafts. Their latest project: entering Bella’s school’s inventor challenge by making a super-duper awesome rocket. But, when the pesky neighborhood squirrel, Nutz, makes off with Bub’s bear, Bub accidentally ruins their project. How will they win the contest? More importantly, how will Bella ever forgive him? May’s cutesy, full-color cartoon art sets the tone for this pug-tastic romp for the new-to–chapter-books crowd. Emojilike faces accentuate Bub’s already expressive character design. Bub’s infectious first-person narration pushes the silly factor off the charts. In addition to creating the look and feel of a diary, the lined paper helps readers follow the eight-chapter story. Most pages have fewer than five sentences, often broken into smaller sections. Additional text appears in color-coded speech bubbles. Bella presents white.
Totes adorbs. (Fiction. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-53003-2
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
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