A clever, quirky story whose text and illustrations are a great foil to each other; sure to be fun for all readers—but...
When Rosie the pig sees a bicycle, she determines that she will ride it in this Canadian import translated from French.
Rosie is a contented pig. She has a barnyard, food, and a “deliciously smelly pigpen.” But when she sees a child (an “ugly animal that had no snout or curly tail”) riding a red bicycle, suddenly she wants more: She wants to ride that bike. Each night, Rosie steals away and tries to ride the bike. Each night she fails but learns something new about momentum, balance, and speed, and each night more and more of the barnyard animals show up to watch or to help. Author Dubé builds the story in a logical, matter-of-fact tone (“Cycling certainly is an action-packed sport”), which humorously juxtaposes against illustrator Orbie’s irreverent illustrations. After her first fall, Rosie decides “it would be safer to wear a helmet”—the illustration shows a saucepan. After a dunk in the lake, Rosie adds more “protective equipment”—a tire around her middle and a “snorkel” made from a piece of elbow pipe. Dialogue and thought bubbles add to the story’s spontaneous feel, and Rosie’s expressions are hilarious as she earnestly tries one thing after another, determined to get the hang of it.
A clever, quirky story whose text and illustrations are a great foil to each other; sure to be fun for all readers—but especially those learning to ride a bike. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5344-1472-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
Halloween is used merely as a backdrop; better holiday titles for young readers are available.
A ghost learns to appreciate his differences.
The little ghost protagonist of this title is unusual. He’s a quilt, not a lightweight sheet like his parents and friends. He dislikes being different despite his mom’s reassurance that his ancestors also had unconventional appearances. Halloween makes the little ghost happy, though. He decides to watch trick-or-treaters by draping over a porch chair—but lands on a porch rail instead. A mom accompanying her daughter picks him up, wraps him around her chilly daughter, and brings him home with them! The family likes his looks and comforting warmth, and the little ghost immediately feels better about himself. As soon as he’s able to, he flies out through the chimney and muses happily that this adventure happened only due to his being a quilt. This odd but gently told story conveys the importance of self-respect and acceptance of one’s uniqueness. The delivery of this positive message has something of a heavy-handed feel and is rushed besides. It also isn’t entirely logical: The protagonist could have been a different type of covering; a blanket, for instance, might have enjoyed an identical experience. The soft, pleasing illustrations’ palette of tans, grays, white, black, some touches of color, and, occasionally, white text against black backgrounds suggest isolation, such as the ghost feels about himself. Most humans, including the trick-or-treating mom and daughter, have beige skin. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-16.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at 66.2% of actual size.)
Halloween is used merely as a backdrop; better holiday titles for young readers are available. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-7352-6447-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
Just the thing for anyone with a Grinch-y tree of their own in the yard.
A grouchy sapling on a Christmas tree farm finds that there are better things than lights and decorations for its branches.
A Grinch among the other trees on the farm is determined never to become a sappy Christmas tree—and never to leave its spot. Its determination makes it so: It grows gnarled and twisted and needle-less. As time passes, the farm is swallowed by the suburbs. The neighborhood kids dare one another to climb the scary, grumpy-looking tree, and soon, they are using its branches for their imaginative play, the tree serving as a pirate ship, a fort, a spaceship, and a dragon. But in winter, the tree stands alone and feels bereft and lonely for the first time ever, and it can’t look away from the decorated tree inside the house next to its lot. When some parents threaten to cut the “horrible” tree down, the tree thinks, “Not now that my limbs are full of happy children,” showing how far it has come. Happily for the tree, the children won’t give up so easily, and though the tree never wished to become a Christmas tree, it’s perfectly content being a “trick or tree.” Martinez’s digital illustrations play up the humorous dichotomy between the happy, aspiring Christmas trees (and their shoppers) and the grumpy tree, and the diverse humans are satisfyingly expressive.
Just the thing for anyone with a Grinch-y tree of their own in the yard. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-7335-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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