Compassionate friendship is demonstrated by two very different yet amiable companions in this amusing scenario.
A lost sock is vexing for Fox, who is looking for its match.
Fox’s friend Ox tries to help, producing a variety of socks very different from the polka-dot blue version Fox is wearing. Undaunted, Ox lifts a truck full of socks and empties its contents in assorted colors, still finding no match. Finally Ox appears with an exact match on his head, causing Fox to joyously shout, “YOU FOUND MY SOCK!…IT’S ON YOUR HEAD!” But Ox says it’s really a hat that’s perfectly structured to fit his head and store all his oranges, which he cannot place in his pockets because he doesn’t wear pants. What? The absurdity of Ox’s response elicits an empathetic reaction from Fox, who relents to his friend’s unusual vision and gives him the matching sock/hat, resolving to make use of all the unmatched socks Ox provided. Now if Fox can only find his other shoe. Black-outlined cartoon figures created with brush pen and Photoshop depict Fox with a hexagonal head, triangle body, and diamond tail and Ox with a semicircular body, square head, and circular snout (his almost ever present smile curves up in pleasing complementarity to his humped back). The text is simple, suitable for both independent reading and as a read-aloud for small groups.
Compassionate friendship is demonstrated by two very different yet amiable companions in this amusing scenario. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: March 14, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2301-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Nothing riveting but serviceable enough.
Children are introduced to the concepts of sorting and classifying in this bedtime story.
It is getting close to bedtime, and Marco’s mother asks him to put his toys away. Marco—who thinks of himself as a scientist—corrects her: “You mean time to sort the animals.” And that’s what he proceeds to do. Marco sorts his animals into three baskets labeled “Flying Animals,” “Swimming Animals,” and “Animals That Move on Land,” but the animals will not sleep. So he sorts them by color: “Mostly Brown,” “Black and White,” and “Colors of the Rainbow,” but Zebra is upset to be separated from Giraffe. Next, Marco sorts his animals by size: “Small,” “Medium,” and “Large,” but the big animals are cramped and the small ones feel cold. Finally, Marco ranges them around his bed from biggest to smallest, thus providing them with space to move and helping them to feel safe. Everyone satisfied, they all go to sleep. While the plot is flimsy, the general idea that organizing and classifying can be accomplished in many different ways is clear. Young children are also presented with the concept that different classifications can lead to different results. The illustrations, while static, keep the focus clearly on the sorting taking place. Marco and his mother have brown skin. The backmatter includes an explanation of sorting in science and ideas for further activities.
Nothing riveting but serviceable enough. (Math picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-62354-128-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
A funny tale about stress and an ever upping ante, with a comforting end.
Something is preventing Owl from falling asleep.
Owl leans back against his white pillow and headboard. “Squeek!” says something underneath the bed. Owl’s never heard that sound before, so he fastens his pink bathrobe and answers the front door. Nobody. It must be the wind; back to bed. Bidding himself goodnight, he climbs into bed—and hears the noise again. Time after time, he pops out of bed seeking the squeaker. Is it in the cupboard? He empties the shelves. Under the floor? He pulls up his floorboards. As Owl’s actions ratchet up—he destroys the roof and smashes the walls, all in search of the squeak—so does his anxiety. Not until he hunkers down in bed under the night sky (his bed is now outdoors, because the house’s roof and walls are gone), frantically clutching his pillow, does he see what readers have seen all along: a small, gray mouse. In simple illustrations with black outlines, textured coloring, and foreshortened perspective, Pizzoli plays mischievously with mouse placement. Sometimes the mouse is behind Owl or just out of his sightline; other times, the mouse is on a solid, orange-colored page across the spread from Owl, which removes him from Owl’s scene in a rather postmodern manner. Is the mouse toying with Owl? Who knows?
A funny tale about stress and an ever upping ante, with a comforting end. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 19, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4847-1275-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2016
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