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ONE GRAY MOUSE

A fine message of hope with a charming cast of rodents.

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A mouse goes on a quest for a better life in this original fairy tale from author/illustrator Nedelcu (Just Like Daddy, 2015).

Four mice of various colors live together in a cave. Green Mouse wishes for better food than rotten fruit, Red Mouse is angry they live in the dark, Blue Mouse is afraid of everything, and Gray Mouse is full of doubt, wondering if this is all there is. When a Yellow Mouse appears with the promise of a quest for a better future, the mice join in even though Gray Mouse doubts that Yellow Mouse’s promises will come true. Their journey reveals that they’re actually on the back of a dragon; Yellow Mouse promises that if the mice can control their hunger, anger, and fear and hold onto hope for something better, they’ll triumph. It’s predictable that the mice fall prey to their failings, and Yellow Mouse continues without them; when they set off again, it’s Gray Mouse who perseveres. There’s a gloriously colorful happy ending, even for the three mice left behind, involving a rainbow of rodents living in harmony. Nedelcu’s characters’ illustrations are strong, with signifying features beyond their bright-colored fur, and they keep the dark, twisty setting from becoming overwhelming.

A fine message of hope with a charming cast of rodents.

Pub Date: April 24, 2018

ISBN: 978-0-9998181-0-7

Page Count: 38

Publisher: On Press

Review Posted Online: March 6, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018

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TALES FOR VERY PICKY EATERS

Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)

Pub Date: May 1, 2011

ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Clarion Books

Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011

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I WISH YOU MORE

Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.

A collection of parental wishes for a child.

It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.

Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: April 1, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015

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