Even young children will find this, at best, a short-term solution, but in the end, at least it leaves both the townsfolk...
Unlikely resolution notwithstanding, this thoroughly poopiferous tale of a pigeon with an outsized alimentary issue will leave readers wiping their…eyes from laughter.
It’s bombs away when a pigeon comes to a proudly pristine small town: Not only are “Umbrellas, shoes, and smart new hats…spoiled by Pidge’s splots and splats,” but statues (of course) and even dogs are covered in gunk. Afflicted by this veritable monsoon of muck, the splattered citizens rise up in wrath to construct “a whopping, / super-duper, / Snapping, zapping… // ...birdy scooper!” Though his pigeon poop looks more like globs of whipped cream or yogurt (thank goodness), Chambers smears the stuff over his cartoon figures with a liberal hand. He endows the pigeon with an engaging “Who? Me?” grin and concocts a comically complicated trapping device made from miscellaneous junk. When said device finally traps the avian offender, a softhearted lass takes charge, and “soon our Pidge was clean and tidy / In a poop-proof… // pigeon didey!”
Even young children will find this, at best, a short-term solution, but in the end, at least it leaves both the townsfolk and the guano-gusher itself happy. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-56148-769-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Good Books
Review Posted Online: July 31, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2012
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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