A matter-of-fact, at times frustrating account of a one-sided relationship.
How far will you go for your pet?
Light-skinned Mr. Krup does everything for his pup: He fries Marble’s kibble instead of feeding it to her straight from the bag, his spare home decor features only toys and objects meant for his canine companion, and he goes to great lengths to get Marble anything her heart desires. After sneakily stealing Mr. Krup’s pork chop, Marble muses, “I like the moon,” which sets Mr. Krup on a mission to capture it for his pup’s enjoyment. He enthusiastically builds a rocket and travels to outer space, soon returning with the celestial body in tow. But, like many a child who asks for a treasured object, only to grow bored with it, Marble quickly finds herself moving on to a new interest. Lindström's text, translated from Swedish, is deadpan and unsentimental, while her washed-out gouache and watercolor illustrations are slightly surreal yet still grounded in reality. While adults will chuckle knowingly, kids may be turned off by Marble’s blasé reactions to Mr. Krup’s efforts to meet her needs and wants; many will find themselves wondering why Mr. Krup continues to dote on her when he gets so little in return.
A matter-of-fact, at times frustrating account of a one-sided relationship. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Dec. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9781662620706
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Astra Young Readers
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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
The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted...
Reinvention is the name of the game for two blobs of clay.
A blue-eyed gray blob and a brown-eyed brown blob sit side by side, unsure as to what’s going to happen next. The gray anticipates an adventure, while the brown appears apprehensive. A pair of hands descends, and soon, amid a flurry of squishing and prodding and poking and sculpting, a handsome gray wolf and a stately brown owl emerge. The hands disappear, leaving the friends to their own devices. The owl is pleased, but the wolf convinces it that the best is yet to come. An ear pulled here and an extra eye placed there, and before you can shake a carving stick, a spurt of frenetic self-exploration—expressed as a tangled black scribble—reveals a succession of smug hybrid beasts. After all, the opportunity to become a “pig-e-phant” doesn’t come around every day. But the sound of approaching footsteps panics the pair of Picassos. How are they going to “fix [them]selves” on time? Soon a hippopotamus and peacock are staring bug-eyed at a returning pair of astonished hands. The creative naiveté of the “clay mates” is perfectly captured by Petty’s feisty, spot-on dialogue: “This was your idea…and it was a BAD one.” Eldridge’s endearing sculpted images are photographed against the stark white background of an artist’s work table to great effect.
The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted fun of their own . (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 20, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-316-30311-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
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