Next book

POTTY ANIMALS

WHAT TO KNOW WHEN YOU’VE GOTTA GO!

Unruly critters from Sycamore Preschool learn bathroom etiquette in this wry tale. Rambunctious rhymes delineate the offenses of an assortment of forgetful creatures. From Benji the barger, who fails to knock before entering, to Georgie’s aversion to wiping, all aspects of potty-training fundamentals are covered. Standard rhymes in an abcb pattern divided between each two-page spread outline commonplace infractions and are concluded with an exuberantly delivered reminder. Petrone’s digital artwork portrays a cuddly zoo of offenders, including diminutive hippos, congenial tigers and perky pigs. Vestergaard tackles a delicate subject with levity, humor and a keen understanding of the potty-related foibles of the very young. Amid the giggles and innocuous bathroom humor, this potty primer adeptly conveys its vital message to preschoolers. This welcome addition to the genre offers parents and teachers a playful way to address a necessary topic. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: March 1, 2010

ISBN: 978-1-4027-5996-3

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Sterling

Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2010

Awards & Accolades

Likes

  • Readers Vote
  • 13


Our Verdict

  • Our Verdict
  • GET IT


  • New York Times Bestseller

Next book

DON'T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE SLEIGH!

A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.

Awards & Accolades

Likes

  • Readers Vote
  • 13


Our Verdict

  • Our Verdict
  • GET IT


  • New York Times Bestseller

Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.

This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”

A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)

Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023

ISBN: 9781454952770

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Union Square Kids

Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023

Next book

TURKEY TROUBLE

From the Turkey Trouble series

Turkey’s in the “kind of trouble where it’s almost Thanksgiving...and you’re the main course.” Accordingly, Turkey tries on disguise after disguise, from horse to cow to pig to sheep, at each iteration being told that he looks nothing like the animal he’s trying to mimic (which is quite true, as Harper’s quirky watercolors make crystal clear). He desperately squeezes a red rubber glove onto his head to pass as a rooster, only to overhear the farmer suggest a poultry plan B when he’s unable to turn up the turkey. Turkey’s horrified expression as he stands among the peppers and tomatoes—in November? Chalk it up to artistic license—is priceless, but his surroundings give him an idea. Good fun, but it may lead to a vegetarian table or two. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2009

ISBN: 978-0-7614-5529-5

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Marshall Cavendish

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2009

Close Quickview