Dog-loving children will find excellent advice for puppy care in a poetic package.
The team of Howell and Pilicer (Greetings!, 2019, etc.) returns in this rhyming exploration of a boy welcoming a new puppy to the family.
When Daddy brings home a puppy, the narrator isn’t immediately sure what to make of him. But soon the pooch, named Murray, wiggles his way into the boy’s heart. Although the two become friends, the boy discusses how the puppy needs to learn the right set of behaviors. The narrator comforts Murray when he barks too much. And “When Grandma comes to visit, / He squirms and jumps ahead. / Time to teach him ‘No’ and ‘Down’, / Now Murray sits instead.” The boy walks Murray, tries to teach him to fetch, and convinces him that shoes are not suitable for chewing. In this picture book, Howell neatly blends the joys of having a dog and how loving the canine can be with the responsibilities of raising a puppy. The smooth rhymes scan well throughout, delivering puppy-raising suggestions that feel shared from a friend rather than strictly instructional. Pilicer’s gouache/digital cartoon images have painterly backgrounds; Murray stands out in the scenes as the only character drawn with heavy lines, which work well for the black-and-white pup. Though the narrator and his family are white, the illustrator includes friends and dog owners of different races and ethnicities. Pet tips at the end spell out the counsel introduced in the rhymes.
Dog-loving children will find excellent advice for puppy care in a poetic package.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1-947854-59-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: Handersen Publishing, LLC
Review Posted Online: Oct. 19, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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