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BESS THE BARN STANDS STRONG

Seasons come and seasons go, but cozy concepts like barns on farms will never ever die.

A friendly barn on a family farm weathers weather, time, and change.

Pencil and crayons lovingly illustrate the story of Bess, a family barn raised “Beam by beam and board by board” by a farming family. Bess exudes comfort and stability to all the animals that take shelter beneath her roof, and she loves observing the cycle of life and its celebrations. But when the old farmer dies, a new owner raises a different barn made of corrugated steel and filled with “new-fangled machines.” Forgotten, Bess weathers quietly until the timely appearance of a savage storm gives her the chance to be a hero. There’s a marvelous mix of peppy text and bone-deep comfort at work within the language of this story. Paying homage to such classics as Virginia Lee Burton’s The Little House (1942) as well as more recent titles like School’s First Day of School by Adam Rex and illustrated by Christian Robinson (2016), Bess’ physical anthropomorphization is limited to little details, as when boards fall askew to resemble eyebrows. Visual treasures abound in the corners of the art, and children may enjoy figuring out which characters from the beginning of the book (most white, some people of color) change and grow by the story’s end.

Seasons come and seasons go, but cozy concepts like barns on farms will never ever die. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-62414-980-1

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Page Street

Review Posted Online: May 16, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2020

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PAPA DOESN'T DO ANYTHING!

A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren.

In talk-show host Fallon and illustrator Ordóñez’s latest picture-book collaboration, an elderly pooch waxes rhapsodic about a life well lived.

Observing Papa sitting in his chair watching TV all day, a young pup says, “I’m starting to think…you don’t do ANYTHING.” So Papa proceeds to list his accomplishments, both big and small, mundane and profound. Some are just a result of being older and physically bigger (being tall enough to reach a high shelf and strong enough to open jars); others include winning a race and performing in a band when he was younger. Eventually, the pup realizes that while Papa may have slowed down in his old age, he’s led a full life. The most satisfying thing about Papa’s life now? Watching his grandchild take center stage: “I can say lots of thoughts / but I choose to be quiet. / I’d rather you discover things and then try it.” Fallon’s straightforward text is sweetly upbeat, though it occasionally lacks flow, forcing incongruous situations together to fit the rhyme scheme (“I cook and I mow, / and I once flew a plane. // I play newspaper puzzles because it’s good for my brain”). Featuring uncluttered, colorful backgrounds, Ordóñez’s child-friendly digital art at times takes on sepia tones, evoking the sense of looking back at old photos or memories. Though the creators tread familiar ground, the love between Papa and his little one is palpable.

A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: May 13, 2025

ISBN: 9781250393975

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025

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YOUR BABY'S FIRST WORD WILL BE DADA

Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.

A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.

A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.

Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)

Pub Date: June 9, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015

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