PLB 0-7868-2367-4 Outrageous puns, sly references, and wonderfully exaggerated pastels are just the ticket from the team behind Zoom Broom (1998). The Big Guy is a giant ape, neat in his white shirt and khakis, trying to sell Ape-On Cosmetics door-to-door. Despite his degree in Monkey Business, he can’t seem to unload any Ape-ricot Lip Gloss or Banana Cream Facial. Clutching his selling handbook, he decides to move from the wilds to “Gotham. Metropolis. Big Apple.” He’s ready to work his way up, even when he’s handed a pail and a squeegee. The Big Galoot works his way up to the 81st floor of the Empire State Building where a blonde beauty inspires him to try one more sale. He’s got her in the palm of his hand, when he takes a huge tumble and is discovered by a Hollywood agent. Readers won’t need to know King Kong or recognize the numerous cultural and commercial homages to be in stitches. Fine’s luxurious palette and angled perspectives add to the broad humor. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-7868-0420-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
Baker (Big Fat Hen, 1994, etc.) engages in more number play, posing ducklings in every combination of groups, e.g., “Splashing as they leap and dive/7 ducklings, 2 plus 5.” Using a great array of streaked and dappled papers, Baker creates a series of leafy collage scenes for the noisy, exuberant ducklings to fill, tucking in an occasional ladybug or other small creature for sharp-eyed pre-readers to spot. Children will regretfully wave goodbye as the ducks fly off in neat formation at the end of this brief, painless introduction to several basic math concepts. (Picture book. 4-6)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-292858-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999
Big Brown Bear, with a natty bowler hat, is all set to paint the house in this cheerful Level 1 reader. Every page presents a full-color scene and a few words of easily predicted, often rhyming text: “Bear is big. Bear is brown. Bear goes up. He comes down.” Big Bear climbs a ladder with a pail of blue paint, while nearby, Little Bear plays with a ball and bat—“Oh no! Little Bear! Do not do that!” These are simple words, but sometimes challenging ones, e.g., there are two uses of up, as in climbing the ladder and washing up. The pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations provide nearly ideal context, while also amplifying the story. The format is attractive and practical, featuring large type on a white background that is placed for easy reading. Beginning readers will be amused by the gentle humor in the book, and feel accomplished to have tackled it themselves. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-201999-5
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Green Light/Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1999
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