A lost favorite toy is the impetus behind this tale of the adventure one rabbit might be having when he is away from home. Tatty Ratty, Molly’s favorite stuffed bunny, is missing again, and a thorough search of all the usual places turns up nothing. Molly is heartbroken, but with a little encouragement from her parents, she imagines what Tatty Ratty is doing out in the world. Hopping off the bus, Tatty Ratty finds his way on to a train where he gets new, blue buttons for the ones that he lost. Molly then imagines that he has breakfast with the Three Bears. A healthy serving of porridge fattens him back to his old self. Feeling full, he hops a ride with Cinderella, who mends him and brushes his fur. Taking her own bath, Molly imagines that Tatty Ratty jumps into the ocean for a dip before hitching a ride on a pirate ship. Molly’s father helps the tale by suggesting that the little rabbit is taking a dragon ride to the moon where the Man in the Moon sprinkles him in moondust, turning his fur white. Tatty Ratty is on his way home as he hops aboard a spaceship destined for Earth. A trip to the Kingdom of Bunny store finds that Tatty Ratty is right there waiting for Molly among all the other bunnies sitting on a shelf. Whimsical illustrations depict the dual story of Tatty Ratty’s adventures and Molly’s life at home without her toy. Parents of young children will definitely want to keep this tale in mind should their child’s own Tatty Ratty take off. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: March 14, 2002
ISBN: 0-374-37386-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A young boy wonders aloud to a rabbit friend what he will be when he grows up and imagines some outrageous choices. “Puddle stomper,” “bubble gum popper,” “mixing-bowl licker,” “baby-sis soother” are just some of the 24 inspiringly creative vocations Spinelli’s young dreamer envisions in this pithy rhymed account. Aided by Liao’s cleverly integrated full-bleed mixed-media illustrations, which radiate every hue of the rainbow, and dynamic typesetting with words that swoop and dive, the author’s perspective on this adult-inspired question yields some refreshingly child-oriented answers. Given such an irresistible array of options—“So many jobs! / They’re all such fun”—the boy in the end decides, in an exuberant double gatefold, “I’m going to choose… / EVERY ONE!”—a conclusion befitting a generation expected to have more than six careers each. Without parents or peers around to corral this carefree child’s dreams, the possibilities of being whatever one wants appear both limitless and attainable. An inspired take on a timeless question. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: March 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-316-16226-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2010
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