The premature birth of her brother alarms Rosie, who must learn to accept her tiny sibling into her life. Rosie, a young rabbit, eagerly awaits the arrival of her new baby brother. However, when Bobby is born early, this frail creature is not at all what she expected. Afraid, she ignores him; refusing to hold him, push his carriage, or rock his cradle. Her wise father resolves the dilemma for the perplexed little hare with a poignant story about two friends: Tortoise and Hare. When Tortoise and Hare get separated while out in the woods, Tortoise is left to journey home in the dark. Gradually but persistently, he continues on until Hare returns with a lantern. The moral, Rosie quickly understands, is that, like Tortoise, Bobby’s progress is slow but steady. Wild uses food analogies ingeniously to describe Bobby’s growth; he weighs as much as an onion when born, but soon increases from potato to turnip-size—surely, Rosie reasons, pumpkin size can’t be far away! These whimsical descriptions clarify the mysterious lingo of grams or ounces traditionally used to calculate a preemie’s crucial development. While this text deals specifically with premature infants, it works equally well for apprehensive siblings of any newborn. Brooks’s watercolor illustrations are infinitely sweet, capturing both tender family moments and the bouncy, playful exuberance of young Rosie. The layout of the text and the illustrations are faintly reminiscent of another sentimental rabbit tale: Guess How Much I Love You (not reviewed). Fans of that work will surely embrace this warm-hearted story. The soft pastel illustrations, printed on coarsely grained, creamy-colored paper and the meticulous hand-lettering lend a homespun feel to the book. A cozy tale to share with siblings. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-7894-2630-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: DK Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2000
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren.
In talk-show host Fallon and illustrator Ordóñez’s latest picture-book collaboration, an elderly pooch waxes rhapsodic about a life well lived.
Observing Papa sitting in his chair watching TV all day, a young pup says, “I’m starting to think…you don’t do ANYTHING.” So Papa proceeds to list his accomplishments, both big and small, mundane and profound. Some are just a result of being older and physically bigger (being tall enough to reach a high shelf and strong enough to open jars); others include winning a race and performing in a band when he was younger. Eventually, the pup realizes that while Papa may have slowed down in his old age, he’s led a full life. The most satisfying thing about Papa’s life now? Watching his grandchild take center stage: “I can say lots of thoughts / but I choose to be quiet. / I’d rather you discover things and then try it.” Fallon’s straightforward text is sweetly upbeat, though it occasionally lacks flow, forcing incongruous situations together to fit the rhyme scheme (“I cook and I mow, / and I once flew a plane. // I play newspaper puzzles because it’s good for my brain”). Featuring uncluttered, colorful backgrounds, Ordóñez’s child-friendly digital art at times takes on sepia tones, evoking the sense of looking back at old photos or memories. Though the creators tread familiar ground, the love between Papa and his little one is palpable.
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781250393975
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.
A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.
A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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