Two mischievous pigs, a timid baby-sitter, and an iguana on the loose make for merry mayhem in this lively tale. Geraldine conspires with her younger sibling Willy to oust their new baby-sitter, the bespectacled Mrs. Duffy. Clad in a suitably mousy-gray sweater, she seems easy pickings to the troublesome duo. Readers will gleefully recognize the subversive tactics employed by the pair: tears, tantrums, hiding in a closet, and a staunch refusal to bathe. However, this classic repertoire of antics leaves their sitter unruffled. Undeterred, Geraldine hatches a plan that involves Jerome, their pet iguana. At first, success seems imminent as Mrs. Duffy (who likes to talk in triplicate) gives a satisfyingly alarmed response (“Oh, dear, dear, dear!”) to the sight of Jerome splashing in the tub along with Geraldine and Willy. Things quickly take a downturn as Jerome makes his escape. Here’s where the indomitable Mrs. Duffy shines: scaling tables to rescue the fugitive lizard from its perch atop the bookcase, earning the respect and admiration of the children (and readers). Keller’s (Jacob’s Tree, 1999, etc.) cheeky, colorful drawings are an impish counterpart to the comical tale. Vibrant watercolors depicting the dripping-wet siblings rushing after Jerome wearing nothing but their birthday suits are hilarious, as are the many illustrations that slyly incorporate the elusive Jerome into the pictures. This is sure to strike a responsive chord in readers and their weary baby-sitters alike. As Mrs. Duffy would say, “Yes, yes, yes.” (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 31, 2000
ISBN: 0-688-16887-6
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2000
The wriggly narrator of Diary of a Worm (2003) puts in occasional appearances, but it’s his arachnid buddy who takes center stage here, with terse, tongue-in-cheek comments on his likes (his close friend Fly, Charlotte’s Web), his dislikes (vacuums, people with big feet), nervous encounters with a huge Daddy Longlegs, his extended family—which includes a Grandpa more than willing to share hard-won wisdom (The secret to a long, happy life: “Never fall asleep in a shoe.”)—and mishaps both at spider school and on the human playground. Bliss endows his garden-dwellers with faces and the odd hat or other accessory, and creates cozy webs or burrows colorfully decorated with corks, scraps, plastic toys and other human detritus. Spider closes with the notion that we could all get along, “just like me and Fly,” if we but got to know one another. Once again, brilliantly hilarious. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-06-000153-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Joanna Cotler/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2005
Rylant (Henry and Mudge and the Sneaky Crackers, 1998, etc.) slips into a sentimental mode for this latest outing of the boy and his dog, as she sends Mudge and Henry and his parents off on a camping trip. Each character is attended to, each personality sketched in a few brief words: Henry's mother is the camping veteran with outdoor savvy; Henry's father doesn't know a tent stake from a marshmallow fork, but he's got a guitar for campfire entertainment; and the principals are their usual ready-for-fun selves. There are sappy moments, e.g., after an evening of star- gazing, Rylant sends the family off to bed with: ``Everyone slept safe and sound and there were no bears, no scares. Just the clean smell of trees . . . and wonderful green dreams.'' With its nice tempo, the story is as toasty as its campfire and swaddled in Stevenson's trusty artwork. (Fiction. 6-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-689-81175-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1998
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