Some kids may hop to this beat.
A frog frets when he can’t make music.
Frankie the frog can’t croak, as hard as he tries. Unlike his fellow frogs, who easily break out into their signature sounds, and other pond denizens who produce their own natural utterances, Frankie can’t make a sound. One night, he hears glorious tones…and encounters humans, each of whom is playing, for a princess’s benefit, a melody-producing object Frankie dubs a “music machine.” Frankie rushes home and creates his own “machine,” which he calls Banjo; after considerable practice, he produces wonderful music. This is overheard by friends whom Frankie promptly helps as they devise instruments, too. Forming a quartet and developing a solid reputation, the group decides to enter the annual Croak Competition. Undeterred when told that only croakers can participate, Frankie invents a “froggy machine” that, well, croaks to beat the band. This is a thin, unoriginal story, but it could encourage readers to persevere in pursuit of their dreams; kids who can’t carry a tune might even consider taking up an instrument to fulfill any musical ambitions. The illustrations are the draw here—full of energy, liveliness, and wit, they populate a charming natural world with cheery, big-eyed, personable frogs and other animals of all sizes, some dressed in retro garb. Hartas stimulates interest with art that varies among full-page illustrations, panels, and spot-art pieces.
Some kids may hop to this beat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-8075-2543-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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
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