Fun for kids who know the cathedral (and for patrons of its gift shop); skippable for everybody else
Three peacocks who live at New York’s Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine try to expand their diets.
Tired of sunflower seeds (oddly, depicted as bullet-shaped heaps of golden granules), Phil, Jim, and Harry venture into the neighborhood for some variety only to be turned away everywhere with the titular exclamation. Tempted by “a whiff of something yummy,” they follow their noses to a nearby school, where children are enjoying “ooey, gooey, creamy and delicious mac ’n cheese.” Fascinated to the point of obsession, Phil, Jim, and Harry try daily to sneak into the school. Finally, a kid with “a connection” supplies them with the coveted foodstuff—and, anticlimactically, they don’t like it. Based on three actual peacocks at the cathedral who roam the neighborhood and eat anything, the plot stretches out its build past the breaking point, so the final punchline lands only glancingly. Ewald’s slick, animation-inspired digital illustrations have a glossy, off-putting look that fails to supply the visual verve the story needs. They depict a multicultural neighborhood and school population. The peacocks themselves (two blue, one white) look a lot more like Foghorn Leghorn with paddle-shaped tails than the striking ornamental fowl, which is underscored by the photographs that accompany an author’s note.
Fun for kids who know the cathedral (and for patrons of its gift shop); skippable for everybody else . (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5107-1480-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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