Kids and adults alike will guffaw in delight.
The Wind in the Willows (1908) meets Wodehouse’s Jeeves and Wooster in these short stories.
From the co-creator of Dora the Explorer come four tales ostensibly about luxury-loving parrot Freddie but really about how his clever butler, Peccary, saves the day. In the first story, Freddie worries that their apartment is haunted when the door starts knocking by itself (Peccary cracks the case through a revelation that will crack up readers). In the second story, Freddie’s denial that he has been sleep-eating waffle batter leads to a chain of comedic misunderstandings revolving around reoccurring police characters (officers Scott Piranha and Gladys Otter) with a history of fining Freddie for his shenanigans. A third story, in which Freddie takes his car out for a spin, is a cautionary tale about careful driving with a lovely twist at the end: Freddie’s genuine appreciation of Peccary for not saying “I told you so.” The fourth story ties in the sleep-eating plot of the second in a surprising way as Peccary cleverly uses the quirk to save Freddie’s parents from social ruin. In all of the stories, childlike Freddie’s first-person narration highlights his obliviousness, with Weiner pairing a sly, dry wit with downright silly content. All characters are anthropomorphized animals, finely dressed in illustrations—though it does strike an odd note when the police officers ride regular horses. Otherwise, the exquisitely detailed illustrations are as charming as the characters.
Kids and adults alike will guffaw in delight. (Fiction. 6-10)Pub Date: Dec. 27, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-37820-5
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2022
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
A fitting farewell, still funny, acute, and positive in its view of human nature even in its 37th episode.
A long-running series reaches its closing chapters.
Having, as Kline notes in her warm valedictory acknowledgements, taken 30 years to get through second and third grade, Harry Spooger is overdue to move on—but not just into fourth grade, it turns out, as his family is moving to another town as soon as the school year ends. The news leaves his best friend, narrator “Dougo,” devastated…particularly as Harry doesn’t seem all that fussed about it. With series fans in mind, the author takes Harry through a sort of last-day-of-school farewell tour. From his desk he pulls a burned hot dog and other items that featured in past episodes, says goodbye to Song Lee and other classmates, and even (for the first time ever) leads Doug and readers into his house and memento-strewn room for further reminiscing. Of course, Harry isn’t as blasé about the move as he pretends, and eyes aren’t exactly dry when he departs. But hardly is he out of sight before Doug is meeting Mohammad, a new neighbor from Syria who (along with further diversifying a cast that began as mostly white but has become increasingly multiethnic over the years) will also be starting fourth grade at summer’s end, and planning a written account of his “horrible” buddy’s exploits. Finished illustrations not seen.
A fitting farewell, still funny, acute, and positive in its view of human nature even in its 37th episode. (Fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: Nov. 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-451-47963-1
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Sept. 16, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2018
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