Short and sweet, like its winning protagonist.
The Gingerbread Man searches for a missing class pet.
The Gingerbread Man was baked by a class of students and now lives in their classroom, taking part in daily activities. Today it’s his turn to feed Squeaks, the pet mouse, but she isn’t in her cage. So he follows her paw prints, uncovers clues, and then finally comes across Squeaks in a most unexpected place. This delectable tale is the second in a new spinoff series in which the Gingerbread Man transitions from picture books into graphic novels. Murray’s rhyming text follows the pattern of others in the series, echoing the cadence of the original Gingerbread Man refrain. The cartoon panels give the book a scene-by-scene flow, which especially works well for a clue-based pet hunt. The Gingerbread Man has wide, cartoon eyes, an icing bow tie, and little red buttons. Speech bubbles help differentiate dialogue from narration, and the formatting works well as an introduction to graphic novel reading for the early elementary school crowd. Children reading on their own will have a blast, and caregivers and children alike will enjoy sharing it as well. The few humans in the story are depicted with varying skin tones and hair colors. Overall, this is a fun tale with a clear, concise plot.
Short and sweet, like its winning protagonist. (Graphic early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2024
ISBN: 9780593532447
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader!
Fun with friends makes for a great day.
Norbit, a salmon-colored worm with a pink kerchief, joyfully greets the day and everyone he encounters. “Hello, friends! It’s time for fun with the sun! Let’s play!” He and his menagerie of forest pals—including the sun, who grows limbs and descends from the sky—exuberantly engage in various forms of physical activity such as jumping, going down a slide, spinning around, and watching the clouds go by. Young readers will readily relate, as these are games that most children are familiar with. As day turns to night, Norbit says farewell to Sun and welcomes Moon with an invitation to continue the fun. Watkins has created a vivid world of movement and merriment. Her illustrations feature bright bursts of color that match the energy of the text, with most sentences ending in an exclamation point. The author/illustrator incorporates many elements that make for an ideal early-reading experience (despite the use of a contraction or two): art free from clutter, text consisting of words with only one or two syllables, and repetition and recurring bits, such as a continued game of hide-and-seek with Sun. Inspired by never-before-seen sketches from the Dr. Seuss Collection archives at the University of California San Diego, this is the first title for Seuss Studios, a new imprint for original stories from “emerging authors and illustrators” who “honor Seuss’s hallmark spirit of creativity and imagination.”
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader! (author's note) (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780593646212
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Seuss Studios
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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