For the youngest of listeners, the themes found in The Little Engine that Could continue to inspire. Former U.S. Olympic figure-skater Yamaguchi has penned a new version, complete with American Idol flash and glamour. Poppy the little pig, fully done up in all tutus, bare shoulders and high heels, reaches for stardom in talent-search competitions for ballet, singing and even modeling. The illustrations capture the disdain of the judges and competitors, especially the tall and slinky feline model’s. The “people in charge” (all depicted as animals in Bowers’ humorous, workmanlike illustrations) keep telling Poppy, “This is not for you.” With each stumble, her glittering smile turns south. But every star needs adoring fans, who turn out in spades for this fame-driven pig. The encouragement of mother, grandparents and friend is not forgotten as Poppy ends up on an ice-skating rink in (groan-inducing) New Pork City. The white space on many of the pages may foretell the ice rink to come, with thought bubbles transforming into successful swirls on ice. Wearing sensible clothing and with the support of a friend, Poppy’s determination takes hold, and that makes all the difference. A sincere thank you from Yamaguchi to her family and fans, it’s lacking in both captivating plotting and illustration. As celebrity books go, though, it's a cut above many, and the prose styling is refreshingly restrained. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4022-5275-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions.
Ellis, known for her illustrations for Colin Meloy’s Wildwood series, here riffs on the concept of “home.”
Shifting among homes mundane and speculative, contemporary and not, Ellis begins and ends with views of her own home and a peek into her studio. She highlights palaces and mansions, but she also takes readers to animal homes and a certain famously folkloric shoe (whose iconic Old Woman manages a passel of multiethnic kids absorbed in daring games). One spread showcases “some folks” who “live on the road”; a band unloads its tour bus in front of a theater marquee. Ellis’ compelling ink and gouache paintings, in a palette of blue-grays, sepia and brick red, depict scenes ranging from mythical, underwater Atlantis to a distant moonscape. Another spread, depicting a garden and large building under connected, transparent domes, invites readers to wonder: “Who in the world lives here? / And why?” (Earth is seen as a distant blue marble.) Some of Ellis’ chosen depictions, oddly juxtaposed and stripped of any historical or cultural context due to the stylized design and spare text, become stereotypical. “Some homes are boats. / Some homes are wigwams.” A sailing ship’s crew seems poised to land near a trio of men clad in breechcloths—otherwise unidentified and unremarked upon.
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6529-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014
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