Palatini’s (Ding Dong Ding Dong, 1999) hilarious tale offers readers a kid’s-eye view of sibling relationships. Tots with younger siblings will find a soul mate in the irrepressible Goldie, smug, sassy, and ever so superior. With the insouciant confidence of youth, Goldie catalogs the vast differences between herself and her baby brother, Nicholas, highlighting her own many accomplishments. “I’m BIG” becomes her mantra and rallying cry. Poor baby Nicholas cannot get dressed, read a book, color, or even swing by himself. Of course, Goldie declares, in inimitable toddler fashion, that she can do all these things exceedingly well. Palatini’s somewhat haphazard sketches are the perfect medium to convey the chaotic ambiance of a preschooler and baby combo. Full-color vignettes provide an ironic counterpart to the text, so while Goldie is espousing her superiority, the reader sees the reality of the situation. So, for example, when Goldie complains about Nicholas’s messy eating habits, the very funny picture reveals Goldie’s own spilled milk, stained tablecloth, and smeared face. However, the two find common ground in that classic childhood pastime—sucking their thumbs—and it’s clear that they are a pair. Palatini’s engagingly witty tale reflects a keen understanding of sibling rivalry. She addresses a sensitive subject for young children, deftly using humor to lighten the mood with her signature flair for the comical and giving readers a protagonist with whom they can identify. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: April 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-7868-0502-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2000
This TV rerun in board-book form has nothing new to offer.
Peppa hopes to join her classmates in a Halloween pumpkin competition in this adaptation of a story from the popular British television program Peppa Pig.
With the help of Granny and Grandpa Pig, Peppa turns her giant pumpkin, which is the size of a compact car, into a jack-o’-lantern. The trio is flummoxed when it comes time to transport the pumpkin to the competition, so they call on Miss Rabbit and her helicopter to airlift the pumpkin to the festivities as Peppa and her grandparents ride inside. Peppa arrives just in time for the contest and wins the prize for best flying pumpkin. The scenes look as if they are pulled directly from the television show, right down to the rectangular framing of some of the scenes. While the story is literally nothing new, the text is serviceable, describing the action in two to three sentences per page. The pumpkin-shaped book and orange foil cover will likely attract youngsters, whether they are Peppa fans or not.
This TV rerun in board-book form has nothing new to offer. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 30, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-33922-2
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2019
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
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