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A PIPKIN OF PEPPER

Name: A PIPKIN OF PEPPER
Author: Helen Cooper
ISBN: 0-374-35953-9

by Helen Cooper & illustrated by Helen Cooper ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 6, 2005

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Cat, Squirrel and Duck, who live in a tea kettle–shaped house, are back to making their pumpkin soup when they discover they are out of salt—the only solution is to go into the city to buy more. Duck has never been there and begs to come along. Cat and Squirrel urge him to be careful and hold on tight and off they go. Duck, however, begins to think pepper would be a fine addition to their soup, and becomes completely distracted by the big city and his quest. He finds the pepper, but loses his friends and there’s a great flurry of searching and calling Police Dogs and Fire Dogs. Nevertheless, all is well in the end. Cooper’s glowing pictures are both gorgeous and delightful: The city is as detailed and richly colored as a mosaic, and the countryside where the trio live is full of leafy and golden tendrils and curlicues. Duck’s packet of pepper turns out to be quite a lot (rather larger than a pipkin, in fact), but the friends pronounce the result “Delicious!” The type font is used quite inventively, with size, boldness and placement adding to the merriment. Two small bugs provide occasional snarky commentary. Cooper’s Pumpkin Soup (1999) won the Kate Greenaway medal; this one’s at least as charming. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2005

ISBN: 0-374-35953-9

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2005

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
SAVING THE BUTTERFLY
by Helen Cooper ; illustrated by Gill Smith

- BOOK REVIEW
THE HIPPO AT THE END OF THE HALL
by Helen Cooper ; illustrated by Helen Cooper

- BOOK REVIEW
DELICIOUS!
by Helen Cooper & illustrated by Helen Cooper

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THE WORLD NEEDS THE WONDER YOU SEE

by Joanna Gaines ; illustrated by Julianna Swaney ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 28, 2025

Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children.

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Interior decorator and TV personality Gaines invites readers to open their eyes and exercise their imaginations.

There’s a world to be explored out there—and only children can really take part. What does “looking for wonder” entail? Slowing down and looking up, around, and everywhere. At the outset, a group of eager, racially diverse young friends—including one who uses a wheelchair—are fully prepared for a grand adventure. They offer tips about how and where to look: Why, there’s a “grand parade” of marching ants! And, these kids add, perspective is key. A rainy day might signal gloom to some, but to those filled with wonder, showers bring “magic puddles for play”; a forest is “an enchanted world,” the ocean conceals “a spectacular city,” and the night sky boasts “extraordinary sights.” The takeaway: “Wonder is never in short supply.” It’s a robust, empowering message, as is the exhortation to “keep your mind open, and let curiosity guide the way.” Youngsters are also advised to share their discoveries. The upbeat narrative is delivered in clunky verse, but the colorful cartoonish illustrations brimming with activity and good cheer (including some adorable anthropomorphized animals in the backgrounds) make up for the textual lapses and should motivate readers to embark on their own “wonder explorations.”

Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2025

ISBN: 9781400247417

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Tommy Nelson

Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
THE WORLD NEEDS WHO YOU WERE MADE TO BE
by Joanna Gaines ; illustrated by Julianna Swaney

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)