Sooty illustrations, dark humor, and deft pacing place this book on top of the stack.
Charlie, a rabbit who loves an established bedtime routine, grows grouchy when noisy animal neighbors disrupt his sleep.
Victorian clothes (Charlie even wears his bowler hat to bed!), dreary colors (cardboard browns, cement grays, faded blues), and antique objects (an iron bed, a Victrola, keyed roller skates) describe the rabbit’s quirky, austere lifestyle—one perhaps unsuited for intrusion or surprise. Just when Charlie finishes preparing for bed, doing the things he always does, in order, (glass of water on his bedside table, slippers on the rug, monster check under the bed, teddy-bear hug, one eye closed, then the other) a thunderous “TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP” jolts him awake. It’s Bird hammering on trees (with a hammer)—then it’s Squirrel crunching nuts, then Mouse squeaking on the swings. Double-page spreads with only the enormous, block-letter, onomatopoeic words stretching their length make the volume and intensity of the interruptions clear. Soon Charlie’s routine is hopelessly jumbled. Charlie’s eyes grow smudgy and ringed with dark circles. His rage mounts. Children involved with their own bedtime rituals will enjoy following the incremental dismantling of Charlie’s. Voicing Charlie’s confrontations with his neighbors and amping up the animals’ annoying sounds make for a delightful ruckus and funny read-aloud.
Sooty illustrations, dark humor, and deft pacing place this book on top of the stack. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-61689-599-0
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.
A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.
He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts. When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
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