Joe isn’t quite as cool as Pete, but a catchy tune, dancing dinosaurs, and strawberry ice cream are an enticing combination....
The author of the first few entries in the wildly popular Pete the Cat series debuts a new series starring Groovy Joe, a guitar-playing, ice cream–loving hound dog.
Groovy Joe is rocking out with his pal, a squirrel with sunglasses, as the pair gets ready to share a tub of Haagen Dogs ice cream. Suddenly a little dinosaur roars into the room, putting on a bib and pulling out a spoon in expectation of a scoop of ice cream of his own. Groovy Joe introduces the story’s refrain, “It’s awesome to share!” as he dishes up some strawberry ice cream for his visitor. But then a big dinosaur bursts in, followed by a huge dinosaur (the only specified female character), who polishes off the rest of the ice cream. Groovy Joe, a calm character like his predecessor Pete the Cat, takes matters in stride, turns over the empty ice cream tub, and uses it as a drum. The whole crew dances and sings a song about sharing and loving their doggy ice cream before marching off into the distance to dream up further entries in the series. Bold illustrations in watercolor and colored pencil are by Lichtenheld, illustrator of Sherri Duskey Rinker’s Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site (2011). He clearly knows how to create captivating characters with engaging expressions and amusing antics. As with the Pete the Cat books, a musical version of the text can be downloaded from the publisher’s website.
Joe isn’t quite as cool as Pete, but a catchy tune, dancing dinosaurs, and strawberry ice cream are an enticing combination. Here’s hoping Groovy Joe soon meets a female counterpart—perhaps Hep Hilda or Beatnik Betty? (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-88378-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This frenetic ode to fatherhood is predictable fare but may please series fans.
It’s time to look for the elusive Daddysaurus.
In this latest installment in the seemingly never-ending series about a group of diverse kids attempting to trap mythical creatures, the youngsters are now on the lookout for a big mauve dinosaur with an emblazoned D on his stomach and a superhero cape. The fast-moving Daddysaurus is always on the go; he will be difficult to catch. Armed with blueprints of possible ideas, the kids decide which traps to set. As in previous works, ones of the sticky variety seem popular. They cover barbells with fly paper (Daddysaurus like to exercise) and spread glue on the handle of a shovel (Daddysaurus also likes to garden). One clever trick involves tempting Daddysaurus with a drawing of a hole, taped to the wall, because he fixes everything that breaks. Daddysaurus is certainly engaged in the children’s lives, not a workaholic or absent, but he does fall into some standard tropes associated with fathers. The rhyming quatrains stumble at times but for the most part bounce along. Overall, though, text and art feel somewhat formulaic and likely will tempt only devotees of the series. The final page of the book (after Daddysaurus is caught with love) has a space for readers to write a note or draw a picture of their own Daddysaurus. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
This frenetic ode to fatherhood is predictable fare but may please series fans. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-72826-618-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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