Absolutely charming—no subterfuge about that.
The Franklin brothers are on a mission, and it’s called Operation Lollipop—but while the two boys execute their plans to liberate a lollipop from a kitchen cupboard, it seems another member of the Franklin household is out to foil the plan.
Franklin Brothers Investigations—the other FBI—are working to recover a coveted lollipop after bedtime. They’ve drawn a map, planted booby traps, and selected rendezvous points to keep from being caught by their parents, who are just steps away from the prize. The two brothers use walkie-talkies and a tablet to keep in contact while one stays upstairs and the other executes the mission. At the final checkpoint, though, the secret agent realizes that he’s been double-crossed when Secret Agent Girl (aka their sister) and the family dog retrieve the candy instead. This adorable bedtime book can be read to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” and the meter and rhyme are perfect. The illustrations are full of action and easter egg–like details readers will enjoy finding night after night. Some of those cute details include the magnifying glasses on the secret agent’s pajama pants, the child’s drawing of the family that reveals the third sibling, and the sister secret agent’s own “lollipop plan” on her bedroom floor. The family appears to be mixed race, the father and children presenting with brown skin and dark brown hair, mom with white skin and light hair. (This book was reviewed digitally with 8-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Absolutely charming—no subterfuge about that. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: May 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6921-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
Sure to assuage the fears of all astronauts bound for similar missions.
A genius way to ease kids into the new adventure that is kindergarten.
In an imaginative ruse that’s maintained through the whole book, a young astronaut prepares for his mission to Planet Kindergarten. On liftoff day (a space shuttle–themed calendar counts down the days; a stopwatch, the minutes), the small family boards their rocket ship (depicted in the illustrations as the family car), and “the boosters fire.” They orbit base camp while looking for a docking place. “I am assigned to my commander, capsule, and crewmates.” Though he’s afraid, he stands tall and is brave (not just once, either—the escape hatch beckons, but NASA’s saying gets him through: “FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION”). Parents will certainly chuckle along with this one, but kindergarten teachers’ stomach muscles will ache: “[G]ravity works differently here. We have to try hard to stay in our seats. And our hands go up a lot.” Prigmore’s digital illustrations are the perfect complement to the tongue-in-cheek text. Bold colors, sharp lines and a retro-space style play up the theme. The intrepid explorer’s crewmates are a motley assortment of “aliens”—among them are a kid in a hoodie with the laces pulled so tight that only a nose and mouth are visible; a plump kid with a bluish cast to his skin; and a pinkish girl with a toothpick-thin neck and huge bug eyes.
Sure to assuage the fears of all astronauts bound for similar missions. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: May 20, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4521-1893-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2014
Watching unlikely friends finally be as “happy as two someones can be” feels like being enveloped in your very own hug.
What to do when you’re a prickly animal hankering for a hug? Why, find another misfit animal also searching for an embrace!
Sweet but “tricky to hug” little Hedgehog is down in the dumps. Wandering the forest, Hedgehog begs different animals for hugs, but each rejects them. Readers will giggle at their panicked excuses—an evasive squirrel must suddenly count its three measly acorns; a magpie begins a drawn-out song—but will also be indignant on poor hedgehog’s behalf. Hedgehog has the appealingly pink-cheeked softness typical of Dunbar’s art, and the gentle watercolors are nonthreatening, though she also captures the animals’ genuine concern about being poked. A wise owl counsels the dejected hedgehog that while the prickles may frighten some, “there’s someone for everyone.” That’s when Hedgehog spots a similarly lonely tortoise, rejected due to its “very hard” shell but perfectly matched for a spiky new friend. They race toward each other until the glorious meeting, marked with swoony peach swirls and overjoyed grins. At this point, readers flip the book to hear the same gloomy tale from the tortoise’s perspective until it again culminates in that joyous hug, a book turn that’s made a pleasure with thick creamy paper and solid binding.
Watching unlikely friends finally be as “happy as two someones can be” feels like being enveloped in your very own hug. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-571-34875-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
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