Deftly delightful.
When a hungry rabbit gets stuck, he could fall victim to the person whose vegetables he’s eating.
His name is Hodge. He’s a white rabbit with one black “splodge” covering his left eye and ear. The usually happy Hodge is currently wedged in a hedge. And here comes the “happy gardener” Mrs. Sprat, in her large hat, preparing to pull up some carrots for dinner. When she sees no carrots but Hodge instead, she grabs hold of his bottom and gives a yank. But she pulls so hard she lands—“SPLAT!”—on her rear, crushing her hat. Hodge runs away, but a buzzard hovering high above swoops down and snatches him up. Hodge wriggles; the buzzard struggles and lets him go. Hodge lands with a big “Plop!” right on Mrs. Sprat’s flat hat. She grabs him and stomps back home, pondering a dinner of rabbit pie. But as she holds the “soft and fluffy” Hodge in her arms, Mrs. Sprat has second thoughts. Cue the page turn. “Back in her squashed hat,” Mrs. Sprat sits in a chair behind her house. “Hodge is lodged on Mrs. Sprat’s lap,” and they are both happy. Faber’s playful text is full of gentle wordplay, sounds repeating in clipped sentences that will be great fun to read aloud. Smith’s warm illustrations provide a bucolic setting, depicting Mrs. Sprat with pale skin and a Hodge who brims with personality.
Deftly delightful. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-84365-378-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Pavilion/Trafalgar
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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