A promising series opener that will leave readers primed for more charming, small-town, canine adventures.
Pups publishing? Yes, and also reading, operating machines, and solving problems.
Gizmo, a big-city dog, finds his life drastically altered when his human, Granny—a gray-haired, bespectacled, scooter-riding journalist—moves to the countryside to write a memoir, taking him along. Gizmo, who hates “getting his paws wet,” is nervous about making new friends and living in a village named Puddle. When Jilly, an Irish wolfhound, introduces Gizmo to all the dogs in the area, the first problem is solved. Jilly has her own problem—her pups are about to be sold off. After homes have been found for Jilly’s puppies, another dilemma is introduced: Jilly can’t read. That difficulty is also quickly resolved. The final pages see the dogs publishing the first issue of The Daily Bark and provide an obvious setup for future books in the series. Illustrations on every spread may help youngsters transitioning to a longer novel format, but text and pictures do not always match. British terms (like tucked in to mean eating) and references to antiquated equipment (a Polaroid camera and a typewriter) invite young American readers to broaden their perspectives. Gizmo’s dislike of water is handled inconsistently; he’s miserable when he falls into a water trough but doesn’t object when Granny gives him a bath.
A promising series opener that will leave readers primed for more charming, small-town, canine adventures. (Illustrated text. 6-9)Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0881-2
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look...
Winning actually isn’t everything, as jazz-happy Rooster learns when he goes up against the legendary likes of Mules Davis and Ella Finchgerald at the barnyard talent show.
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look good—particularly after his “ ‘Hen from Ipanema’ [makes] / the barnyard chickies swoon.”—but in the end the competition is just too stiff. No matter: A compliment from cool Mules and the conviction that he still has the world’s best band soon puts the strut back in his stride. Alexander’s versifying isn’t always in tune (“So, he went to see his cousin, / a pianist of great fame…”), and despite his moniker Rooster plays an electric bass in Bower’s canted country scenes. Children are unlikely to get most of the jokes liberally sprinkled through the text, of course, so the adults sharing it with them should be ready to consult the backmatter, which consists of closing notes on jazz’s instruments, history and best-known musicians.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-58536-688-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
A lesson that never grows old, enacted with verve by two favorite friends
Gerald the elephant learns a truth familiar to every preschooler—heck, every human: “Waiting is not easy!”
When Piggie cartwheels up to Gerald announcing that she has a surprise for him, Gerald is less than pleased to learn that the “surprise is a surprise.” Gerald pumps Piggie for information (it’s big, it’s pretty, and they can share it), but Piggie holds fast on this basic principle: Gerald will have to wait. Gerald lets out an almighty “GROAN!” Variations on this basic exchange occur throughout the day; Gerald pleads, Piggie insists they must wait; Gerald groans. As the day turns to twilight (signaled by the backgrounds that darken from mauve to gray to charcoal), Gerald gets grumpy. “WE HAVE WASTED THE WHOLE DAY!…And for WHAT!?” Piggie then gestures up to the Milky Way, which an awed Gerald acknowledges “was worth the wait.” Willems relies even more than usual on the slightest of changes in posture, layout and typography, as two waiting figures can’t help but be pretty static. At one point, Piggie assumes the lotus position, infuriating Gerald. Most amusingly, Gerald’s elephantine groans assume weighty physicality in spread-filling speech bubbles that knock Piggie to the ground. And the spectacular, photo-collaged images of the Milky Way that dwarf the two friends makes it clear that it was indeed worth the wait.
A lesson that never grows old, enacted with verve by two favorite friends . (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4231-9957-1
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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