Though pretty and engaging, a miss.
Playful Monkey takes readers on a guessing game through a world of disparate animals.
Six two-page spreads, lushly painted, find Monkey greeting a variety of creatures. Right-hand pages have an additional flap covering half the page; the identity of each of Monkey's friends is thus partially obscured. His first encounter is with an animal that has a long gray tail, a very long front paw and a pair of eyes peeking out just above it. "Monkey said, 'How are you?' when he met the..." Kangaroo! (with a joey in her pouch). Next comes an elephant, then a crocodile, a snake, a chameleon and finally a bear cub, eating honey and leaning against a tree trunk. The pictures feature some extra animals, such as a blasé frog, some brightly colored tropical birds, a frightened koala, a swarm of bees and a treeful of butterflies. At the end of the day, it's time for bed; Monkey rests against a tree, and under the flap on the right-hand page are all the previously introduced friends wishing him goodnight. Brown's illustrations are beautiful, like nature paintings, and young listeners are bound to enjoy guessing each animal's identity and lifting the flaps. But the text, while minimal, is often uneven. And the inclusion of animals from different habitats all over the world is not only puzzling, but seems like a lost teaching opportunity.
Though pretty and engaging, a miss. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-61067-045-6
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Kane Miller
Review Posted Online: Jan. 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2012
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The action of this rhymed and humorous tale centers upon a mouse who "took a stroll/through the deep dark wood./A fox saw the mouse/and the mouse looked good." The mouse escapes being eaten by telling the fox that he is on his way to meet his friend the gruffalo (a monster of his imagination), whose favorite food is roasted fox. The fox beats a hasty retreat. Similar escapes are in store for an owl and a snake; both hightail it when they learn the particulars: tusks, claws, terrible jaws, eyes orange, tongue black, purple prickles on its back. When the gruffalo suddenly materializes out of the mouse's head and into the forest, the mouse has to think quick, declaring himself inedible as the "scariest creature in the deep dark wood," and inviting the gruffalo to follow him to witness the effect he has on the other creatures. When the gruffalo hears that the mouse's favorite food is gruffalo crumble, he runs away. It's a fairly innocuous tale, with twists that aren't sharp enough and treachery that has no punch. Scheffler's funny scenes prevent the suspense from culminating; all his creatures, predator and prey, are downright lovable. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: June 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8037-2386-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1999
SEEN & HEARD
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