Sweet, albeit somewhat visually overwhelming.
A guide dog describes how they assist their “best friend,” Vincent.
Scout, a black, googly-eyed pup, matter-of-factly explains that Vincent can’t see, so they “go everywhere together.” Vincent’s commands direct the pair to “all [their] favorite places,” including the park and a restaurant, while Scout ensures the streets are clear to cross. Noting that “being a guide is a big responsibility,” Scout explains that when in their harness, they can’t play or interact with others. But at the park, a double-page spread depicts a spirited game of fetch; an unharnessed Scout bounds across the pages, appearing to multiply as Vincent throws the stick “again / and again / and again” until the text fades with repetition. Once home, Scout and Vincent—who both have “excellent hearing”—snuggle and listen to records, their blissful expressions confirming Scout’s declaration: “I love Vincent and Vincent loves me!” Ljungkvist’s crisp, geometric illustrations add texture, but their busy colors and patterns may be visually taxing for some readers. A Scout’s-eye view of pedestrians’ pant legs is a forest of stripes, plaids, spirals, and more. Vincent’s pink plaid trousers compete with a purple-checked couch and pink-checkered tablecloth; red trees blend into a green background. Unfortunately, the clash of patterns extends to Vincent’s clothing, which risks implying that blind people can’t dress themselves—a potentially jarring note in an otherwise informative, upbeat portrayal of a guide dog team. Vincent presents White.
Sweet, albeit somewhat visually overwhelming. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-57687-986-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: POW!
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
A hilarious autumnal comedy of errors.
A confused squirrel overreacts to the falling autumn leaves.
Relaxing on a tree branch, Squirrel admires the red, gold, and orange leaves. Suddenly Squirrel screams, “One of my leaves is…MISSING!” Searching for the leaf, Squirrel tells Bird, “Someone stole my leaf!” Spying Mouse sailing in a leaf boat, Squirrel asks if Mouse stole the leaf. Mouse calmly replies in the negative. Bird reminds Squirrel it’s “perfectly normal to lose a leaf or two at this time of year.” Next morning Squirrel panics again, shrieking, “MORE LEAVES HAVE BEEN STOLEN!” Noticing Woodpecker arranging colorful leaves, Squirrel queries, “Are those my leaves?” Woodpecker tells Squirrel, “No.” Again, Bird assures Squirrel that no one’s taking the leaves and that the same thing happened last year, then encourages Squirrel to relax. Too wired to relax despite some yoga and a bath, the next day Squirrel cries “DISASTER” at the sight of bare branches. Frantic now, Squirrel becomes suspicious upon discovering Bird decorating with multicolored leaves. Is Bird the culprit? In response, Bird shows Squirrel the real Leaf Thief: the wind. Squirrel’s wildly dramatic, misguided, and hyperpossessive reaction to a routine seasonal event becomes a rib-tickling farce through clever use of varying type sizes and weights emphasizing his absurd verbal pronouncements as well as exaggerated, comic facial expressions and body language. Bold colors, arresting perspectives, and intense close-ups enhance Squirrel’s histrionics. Endnotes explain the science behind the phenomenon.
A hilarious autumnal comedy of errors. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-3520-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories.
Kids know vegetables can be scary, but rarely are edible roots out to get someone. In this whimsical mock-horror tale, carrots nearly frighten the whiskers off Jasper Rabbit, an interloper at Crackenhopper Field.
Jasper loves carrots, especially those “free for the taking.” He pulls some in the morning, yanks out a few in the afternoon, and comes again at night to rip out more. Reynolds builds delicious suspense with succinct language that allows understatements to be fully exploited in Brown’s hilarious illustrations. The cartoon pictures, executed in pencil and then digitally colored, are in various shades of gray and serve as a perfectly gloomy backdrop for the vegetables’ eerie orange on each page. “Jasper couldn’t get enough carrots … / … until they started following him.” The plot intensifies as Jasper not only begins to hear the veggies nearby, but also begins to see them everywhere. Initially, young readers will wonder if this is all a product of Jasper’s imagination. Was it a few snarling carrots or just some bathing items peeking out from behind the shower curtain? The ending truly satisfies both readers and the book’s characters alike. And a lesson on greed goes down like honey instead of a forkful of spinach.
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0297-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
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