Humorous but mean-spirited, this story about clever mind control that is only stopped by brute force is an unnecessary...
An impish monkey gets a comeuppance when pal Fred wakes up to some not-so-subtle mental bullying.
Whenever Fred, the forgetful elephant, is stymied into inactivity, the red monkey (with ink-drawn fuzz on the forehead that has the look of devil horns—probably not a coincidence) imagines mischievous activities for him. In a running dialogue, printed in black for the monkey and red for Fred, the monkey tells Fred that he was about to “ride a unicycle upside down,” “drink swamp water,” “go for a swim in the sea…with sharks,” “wrestle a rhino,” and “put on a nice dress and sing a happy song.” Easygoing Fred does these silly (and sometimes-dangerous) things and always winds up in trouble, sending the monkey into gales of laughter. It is his elephant friends’ laughter at the sight of him singing in a dress that suddenly rouses Fred’s indignation. Although he begins to obey the monkey’s demand that he peel a million bananas, Fred finally remembers what he really wants to do: squash his simian pal. In contrast to Jon Klassen’s I Want My Hat Back (2011), the last page portrays reconciliation, though readers may well wish it didn’t. The digital illustrations, created with pencil, paint, and chalk, have a sketchy quality that fits their content. In addition to the nastiness of the pranks, the elephant friends’ shaming of cross-dressing Fred sounds a sour note.
Humorous but mean-spirited, this story about clever mind control that is only stopped by brute force is an unnecessary addition to the picture-book shelf. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: June 7, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234916-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2016
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
Echoes of Runaway Bunny color this exchange between a bath-averse piglet and his patient mother. Using a strategy that would probably be a nonstarter in real life, the mother deflects her stubborn offspring’s string of bath-free occupational conceits with appeals to reason: “Pirates NEVER EVER take baths!” “Pirates don’t get seasick either. But you do.” “Yeesh. I’m an astronaut, okay?” “Well, it is hard to bathe in zero gravity. It’s hard to poop and pee in zero gravity too!” And so on, until Mom’s enticing promise of treasure in the deep sea persuades her little Treasure Hunter to take a dive. Chunky figures surrounded by lots of bright white space in Segal’s minimally detailed watercolors keep the visuals as simple as the plotline. The language isn’t quite as basic, though, and as it rendered entirely in dialogue—Mother Pig’s lines are italicized—adult readers will have to work hard at their vocal characterizations for it to make any sense. Moreover, younger audiences (any audiences, come to that) may wonder what the piggy’s watery closing “EUREKA!!!” is all about too. Not particularly persuasive, but this might coax a few young porkers to get their trotters into the tub. (Picture book. 4-6)
Pub Date: March 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-399-25425-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2011
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