A charming study in cooperation (but how did this amazing boy learn how to knit so prodigiously?).
What begins as an adaptation of the “Baa Baa Black Sheep” nursery rhyme becomes an exercise in sharing when a small boy asks a lamb to give him enough wool to knit a warm winter wardrobe.
Initially, the boy asks the lamb if it has any wool because he wants to make a sweater for winter. Soon the boy returns, asking for more wool for a hat. Indeed, the boy returns repeatedly for wool to knit a scarf, mittens, socks and, finally, a long coat. The lamb obliges, telling his friend, “if you’re that cold, I will let you take my wool and you can knit it all up.” In a surprise twist, however, the boy reveals he’s also created a sweater, scarf, socks and a hat to keep his lamb pal warm as well. The simple text relies on repetition to convey its message of sharing, while colorful, whimsical illustrations use flat patterns and lines to showcase both the puffy white lamb and the boy in his expanding winter wardrobe of knit items. A spiraling line linking the lamb to the boy and his ensemble of knitwear proves an appropriate visual device, weaving like an endless piece of yarn or long muffler from page to page.
A charming study in cooperation (but how did this amazing boy learn how to knit so prodigiously?). (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-926973-14-2
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 4, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2012
A successful swap from coconut tree to Christmas tree.
A Christmas edition of the beloved alphabet book.
The story starts off nearly identically to Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989), written by John Archambault and the late Bill Martin Jr, with the letters A, B, and C deciding to meet in the branches of a tree. This time, they’re attempting to scale a Christmas tree, not a coconut tree, and the letters are strung together like garland. A, B, and C are joined by the other letters, and of course they all “slip, slop, topple, plop!” right down the tree. At the bottom, they discover an assortment of gifts, all in a variety of shapes. As a team, the letters and presents organize themselves to get back up on the Christmas tree and get a star to the top. Holiday iterations of favorite tales often fall flat, but this take succeeds. The gifts are an easy way to reinforce another preschool concept—shapes—and the text uses just enough of the original to be familiar. The rhyming works, sticking to the cadence of the source material. The illustrations pay homage to the late Lois Ehlert’s, featuring the same bold block letters, though they lack some of the whimsy and personality of the original. Otherwise, everything is similarly brightly colored and simply drawn. Those familiar with the classic will be drawn to this one, but newcomers can enjoy it on its own.
A successful swap from coconut tree to Christmas tree. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665954761
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
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
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