Though little ones will understand the desire to be in front, Elphie’s means are questionable.
On their way to the nature reserve’s watering hole, Elphie, the littlest elephant, wants to move to the front of the line and so enlists readers to help.
Byrne’s interactive approach finds his main character addressing readers in an effort to disrupt the other elephants’ places in line. “Hey, readers! I have an idea. On the count of three, shout out ELEANOR! / Ready? 1…2…3…” Eleanor, hearing her name, steps aside to investigate, and Elphie moves up in line. “Thank you, readers. I’m not last anymore!” As the group continues their trek, Elphie asks readers to hiss like a snake so one frightened friend jumps aside and “to please give the book a good shake,” causing another to be too nervous to cross a wobbly bridge. But when readers are asked to squeak, growl, or roar, Elgar, the biggest, is not fooled. Black-outlined cartoon figures with round eyes and gray bodies in bright swim attire enact the sequence of events told in large, black text and dialogue bubbles. Elphie’s polite request for readers’ assistance works to scare off a large, selfish elephant who is dominating the waterhole, earning a place in front on the way home. Although the overall gimmick is amusing, readers may feel this reward is at odds with Elphie’s fundamentally sneaky behavior.
Though little ones will understand the desire to be in front, Elphie’s means are questionable. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-12771-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This is a tremendously moving story, but some people will be moved only on the second reading, after they’ve Googled “How to...
A hug shouldn’t require an instruction manual—but some do.
A porcupine can frighten even the largest animal. In this picture book, a bear and a deer, along with a small rabbit, each run away when they hear eight simple words and their name: “I need a hug. Will you cuddle me,…?” As they flee, each utters a definitive refusal that rhymes with their name. The repetitive structure gives Blabey plenty of opportunities for humor, because every animal responds to the question with an outlandish, pop-eyed expression of panic. But the understated moments are even funnier. Each animal takes a moment to think over the request, and the drawings are nuanced enough that readers can see the creatures react with slowly building anxiety or, sometimes, a glassy stare. These silent reaction shots not only show exquisite comic timing, but they make the rhymes in the text feel pleasingly subtle by delaying the final line in each stanza. The story is a sort of fable about tolerance. It turns out that a porcupine can give a perfectly adequate hug when its quills are flat and relaxed, but no one stays around long enough to find out except for an animal that has its own experiences with intolerance: a snake. It’s an apt, touching moral, but the climax may confuse some readers as they try to figure out the precise mechanics of the embrace.
This is a tremendously moving story, but some people will be moved only on the second reading, after they’ve Googled “How to pet a porcupine.” (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Jan. 29, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-29710-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 29, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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