Falling leaves tell Benito Bear that it’s almost time to crawl into his cubby-hole for his winter sleep, but he discovers that he has outgrown his hole and must find another soon. The otter’s burrow beside the stream is too wet, the woodpecker’s hole too noisy and the rabbit burrow too crowded. As darkness falls, he ventures deeper into the forest, until he gets lost. He spies a hole between two rocks and dives in, but finds it dark and scary and scrambles back to his original cubby. It’s still too small, but Benito finds that, by squirming and wiggling and then by digging, he can make it just the right size. Rossell makes Benito positively adorable while staying just this side of cloying, soft pencils defining the simplified, rounded forms of the bear. Her piney woods are suffused with a soft light; even when a skewed overhead perspective emphasizes Benito’s uneasiness, they’re still a comfortable place for small children to be. Readers will be especially pleased to play spot-the-squirrel as a small companion shadows Benito on his quest. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-921049-86-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little Hare/Trafalgar
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2009
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Relatable bedtime fare.
In this picture book from comedian Gatto, a little one embarks on a nighttime detective caper while also learning some calming techniques.
Tucked into bed, a light-skinned youngster with a mop of brown hair is almost ready to go to sleep, but something’s missing. Eyes wide, mouth agape, the child wonders, “Where’s Bearry?” The snuggly teddy is lost. Armed with a household map and magnifying glass and trailed by a pup sidekick, the tot searches high and low. “He’s not in the playroom / with my robot and blocks. / He’s not in the hamper / with all the stinky socks.” More searching comes up empty, and the increasingly distraught narrator worries, “Maybe he took a trip on the ferry? / Oh no! I’m freaking out! // WHERE’S BEARRY?!?!” Luckily, the youngster remembers to take a deep breath and count down from three. These actions help soothe the intrepid detective, and suddenly, all becomes clear. (Spoiler alert: Bearry is found.) The jaunty, singsong text trips up a bit here and there but propels the mystery forward. Flowers’ colorful art captures the wide range of emotions the youngster experiences: sadness, panic, serenity, and relief.
Relatable bedtime fare. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9780593750193
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
Sweet and silly—good enough for Halloween
The barnyard animals love Halloween. Farmer Brown does not. Sounds like the perfect time for tricks and treats!
Since Farmer Brown wants nothing to do with the scary holiday, “he leaves a bowl of candy on the porch….draws the shades and locks the door.” Out in the barn, though, the party is just getting started. Saturated watercolors show Cow dressed as a skeleton, the chickens looking quite ghostly and the sheep donning witch hats. As field mice and cats arrive, creepy sounds begin. The “crunch, crunch, crunching” and the “creak, creak, creaking” lead to a “tap, tap, tapping.” Hearing them, Farmer Brown peeks out his window to investigate. Readers will chuckle and easily recognize “the dark creature standing beneath the trees.” The farmer, however, runs to his bedroom to pull the covers up over his head. Now the sounds repeat, as the figure comes closer. This time, though, the tapping is followed by a “quack, quack, quackle.” Wait—“Quackle??” Farmer Brown goes out to the porch to find the candy bowl gone and a note on the door announcing, “Halloween Party at the barn!” The chorus of onomatopoeic phrases throughout the briskly paced text guarantees an interactive read-aloud, though fans of Duck’s earlier outings will miss their satiric bite.
Sweet and silly—good enough for Halloween . (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4424-6553-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2013
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