For young adventurers and explorers.
A pup’s wanderlust suddenly gets him into a seafaring predicament.
Jack, a curious terrier, loves to explore. So when the wind blows his house’s door open one day, the temptation is too great. He scampers outside and trots down the road. As he crests a hill, Jack suddenly sees a vast expanse of sparkling blue. The ocean! After stowing away on a lobster boat, Jack can’t wait for an adventure. But then, the sea turns rough: “The sea heaves the boat, and the waves splash the deck. / The rain beats down hard on Jack’s back and his neck.” Poor Jack. This is not what he had in mind. Luckily the voyage is only a few days long, and the boat returns to the same harbor. Weary, hungry, and downtrodden, Jack slowly limps toward home—a far cry from the exuberant energy of the previous trip on the same path. The artwork’s sunny hues match the warmth of the loving reunion between Jack, his light-skinned owner, and his brother, Kes. Employing the many stages of an adventure—quest, drama, return—McLean crafts a brief tale of rolling emotions. Intriguing word choices and varied verses will hold readers’ attention, though the rhyming does, at times, hold the narrative back slightly. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
For young adventurers and explorers. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-63163-698-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: North Star Editions
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers.
Echoing the meter of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” Ward uses catchy original rhymes to describe the variety of nests birds create.
Each sweet stanza is complemented by a factual, engaging description of the nesting habits of each bird. Some of the notes are intriguing, such as the fact that the hummingbird uses flexible spider web to construct its cup-shaped nest so the nest will stretch as the chicks grow. An especially endearing nesting behavior is that of the emperor penguin, who, with unbelievable patience, incubates the egg between his tummy and his feet for up to 60 days. The author clearly feels a mission to impart her extensive knowledge of birds and bird behavior to the very young, and she’s found an appealing and attractive way to accomplish this. The simple rhymes on the left page of each spread, written from the young bird’s perspective, will appeal to younger children, and the notes on the right-hand page of each spread provide more complex factual information that will help parents answer further questions and satisfy the curiosity of older children. Jenkins’ accomplished collage illustrations of common bird species—woodpecker, hummingbird, cowbird, emperor penguin, eagle, owl, wren—as well as exotics, such as flamingoes and hornbills, are characteristically naturalistic and accurate in detail.
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers. (author’s note, further resources) (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-2116-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
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