An enjoyable bedtime story that demands to be heard.
An industrious lamp in the shape of a bird fixes all things that go bump in the night.
At bedtime, a young boy yawns, tosses, and turns, then drifts off to blissful sleep. Soon, noises throughout the supposedly quiet house begin to sound, and the boy’s bedside lamp-bird can’t resist investigating. With a “tip, tap, click, click,” it springs down the hall on ostrichlike legs, its conical beak poised for action. How convenient that its torso contains a light bulb to illuminate the way! It hears “drip, drip, drop, drop” from the bathroom and dutifully cranks the bathtub faucet shut, much to the bath toys’ relief. More noises follow, including sneezes, creaks, flaps, and rustles, which means more things to fix. The sweetest fix of all comes when a stuffed animal becomes separated from his boy. In his first picture book as both writer and illustrator, Ebbeler (The Only Alex Addleston in All These Mountains, 2014, etc.) embeds simple, audible text sparingly within the illustrations, to the fullest effect. No two reads will be the same, as he leaves room for lively interpretations. Although the text-sounds aren’t unique, the lamp-bird is. Reminiscent of a vintage drinking-bird toy, this late-night fixer-upper will keep readers and listeners guessing whether it’s part pelican, ostrich, chicken, or something of their own creation.
An enjoyable bedtime story that demands to be heard. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3295-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
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
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
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