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ROUGH DAY AT LOON LAKE

Name: ROUGH DAY AT LOON LAKE
Author: Kathleen Cook Waldron
ISBN: 1-55143-195-5

by Kathleen Cook Waldron & illustrated by Dean Griffiths ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 15, 2002

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A clever tale with real charm, wherein a couple of young animals score a victory on the golf course after nearly being indignantly ushered from the fairway. Wally, Robyn, Justin, and Nobu look forlornly after the ice cream truck. They haven’t any money, and it is too darn hot to work for some. When they happen across a pond and nearby beach, they are ecstatic. Only Nobu, a turtle whom Griffiths (Ballerinas Don’t Wear Glasses, not reviewed, etc.) has delightfully decked out in cutoffs and Wellingtons, seems to know it is a golf course and they may not be welcome. Cool water, shady trees: “ ‘What more could we want?’ Wally asked. ‘Golf clubs?’ Nobu suggested. ‘A tee time?’ ” Lounging in the water and stretching in the sand, they soon run afoul of a foursome of bears, who try to run them from the course, until they realize that the youngsters might be able to salvage a few golf balls from the drink, at a quarter apiece. Hey, presto—cooled off and rich in no time. An ingenious story, with the added fillip of outlaw behavior and some deliciously playful art. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: April 15, 2002

ISBN: 1-55143-195-5

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Orca

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2002

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
ROUNDUP AT THE PALACE
by Kathleen Cook Waldron & illustrated by Alan Daniel & Lea Daniel

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WHERE ARE YOUR SHOES, MR. BROWN?

by Justin Rhodes ; illustrated by Heather Dickinson ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 14, 2023

Pedestrian.

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Mr. Brown can’t help with farm chores because his shoes are missing—a common occurrence in his household and likely in many readers’ as well.

Children will be delighted that the titular Mr. Brown is in fact a child. After Mr. Brown looks in his closet and sorts through his other family members’ shoes with no luck, his father and his siblings help him search the farm. Eventually—after colorful pages that enable readers to spot footwear hiding—the family gives up on their hunt, and Mr. Brown asks to be carried around for the chores. He rides on his father’s shoulders as Papa gets his work done, as seen on a double-page spread of vignettes. The resolution is more of a lesson for the adult readers than for children, a saccharine moment where father and son express their joy that the missing shoes gave them the opportunity for togetherness—with advice for other parents to appreciate those fleeting moments themselves. Though the art is bright and cheerful, taking advantage of the setting, it occasionally is misaligned with the text (for example, the text states that Mr. Brown is wearing his favorite green shirt while the illustration is of a shirt with wide stripes of white and teal blue, which could confuse readers at the point where they’re trying to figure out which family member is Mr. Brown). The family is light-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Pedestrian. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: March 14, 2023

ISBN: 978-1-5460-0389-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: WorthyKids/Ideals

Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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BUNNY MONEY

From the Max & Ruby series

by Rosemary Wells & illustrated by Rosemary Wells ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1997

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In the siblings' latest adventure, their grandmother is having a birthday (again! see Bunny Cakes, p. 67), so Ruby takes Max shopping. A music box with skating ballerinas is Ruby's idea of the perfect present; Max favors a set of plastic vampire teeth. Ruby's $15 goes fast, and somehow, most of it is spent on Max. The music box of Ruby's dreams costs $100, so she settles for musical earrings instead. There isn't even a dollar left for the bus, so Max digs out his lucky quarter and phones Grandma, who drives them home—happily wearing her new earrings and vampire teeth. As ever, Wells's sympathies are with the underdog: Max, in one-word sentences, out-maneuvers his officious sister once again. Most six- year-olds will be able to do the mental subtraction necessary to keep track of Ruby's money, and Wells helps by illustrating the wallet and its dwindling contents at the bottom of each page where a transaction occurs. Younger children may need to follow the author's suggestion and have an adult photocopy the ``bunny money'' on the endpapers, so they can count it out. Either way, the book is a great adjunct to primary-grade math lessons. (Picture book. 4-7)