Rosie the pig hogs the stage in this comic, farmyard farce from Carr (Dark Day, Light Night, 1996). Pigs love mud, and Rosie is no exception. So when Luke scrubs her up and drags her to a photo shoot, she is one grumpy pig. After a few portraits, Rosie is fed up with her moment in the limelight—it’s a tutu that sends her over the edge. She knocks over the studio cameras, topples the lights, and scatters a rack of costumes, running hog wild through traffic. Rosie soon sheds her tutu, hurrying back to her familiar farm and a muddy piece of hog heaven. The pig-out-of-its-element plot makes for funny antics with a few laugh-out-loud moments. Bender’s fuzzy illustrations pose Rosie in the pink, amidst earth tones, shining a light on the humorous, bewildered expressions of one pig with a mind of her own. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: March 15, 1999
ISBN: 0-8234-1434-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1999
Baker (Big Fat Hen, 1994, etc.) engages in more number play, posing ducklings in every combination of groups, e.g., “Splashing as they leap and dive/7 ducklings, 2 plus 5.” Using a great array of streaked and dappled papers, Baker creates a series of leafy collage scenes for the noisy, exuberant ducklings to fill, tucking in an occasional ladybug or other small creature for sharp-eyed pre-readers to spot. Children will regretfully wave goodbye as the ducks fly off in neat formation at the end of this brief, painless introduction to several basic math concepts. (Picture book. 4-6)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-292858-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999
Big Brown Bear, with a natty bowler hat, is all set to paint the house in this cheerful Level 1 reader. Every page presents a full-color scene and a few words of easily predicted, often rhyming text: “Bear is big. Bear is brown. Bear goes up. He comes down.” Big Bear climbs a ladder with a pail of blue paint, while nearby, Little Bear plays with a ball and bat—“Oh no! Little Bear! Do not do that!” These are simple words, but sometimes challenging ones, e.g., there are two uses of up, as in climbing the ladder and washing up. The pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations provide nearly ideal context, while also amplifying the story. The format is attractive and practical, featuring large type on a white background that is placed for easy reading. Beginning readers will be amused by the gentle humor in the book, and feel accomplished to have tackled it themselves. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-201999-5
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Green Light/Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1999
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