Bruce may not be having a “BIG FUN DAY,” but new readers sure will.
Bruce the bear (Bruce’s Big Move, 2017, etc.) is back for another grumpy day, this time in early-reader form.
Fans of Bruce can rejoice as their favorite character advances alongside his audience. The well-known grouch appears with his signature skeptical expression and mouse frenemy Nibbs. Nibbs arranges a “BIG FUN DAY” for the pair, but as per usual, it’s laced with disaster. Youngsters will giggle at and groan alongside Bruce as he recovers from a syrup-doused breakfast in bed, runs from an ant-infested picnic gone awry, and endures an extremely wet boat ride. The sight of oblivious Nibbs leading Bruce through the challenges, constantly beaming, adds to the laughs. The twist ending—that Bruce “likes being grumpy” and secretly enjoyed his harrowing day—is a smidge disappointing after such a fresh-feeling story, but no one will complain after all the fun. Higgins’ droll narrative style uses predictable and repetitive vocabulary and plenty of clear visual cues to help newly independent readers navigate the book themselves. There are enough meaty words like “afternoon” and “fancy” and “supper” interwoven to keep youngsters on their toes, but the narrative is so engaging and the art so crisp and colorfully textured that they’ll be eager to read on.
Bruce may not be having a “BIG FUN DAY,” but new readers sure will. (Early reader. 4-7)Pub Date: June 25, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-368-01577-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: March 11, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
A hilarious autumnal comedy of errors.
A confused squirrel overreacts to the falling autumn leaves.
Relaxing on a tree branch, Squirrel admires the red, gold, and orange leaves. Suddenly Squirrel screams, “One of my leaves is…MISSING!” Searching for the leaf, Squirrel tells Bird, “Someone stole my leaf!” Spying Mouse sailing in a leaf boat, Squirrel asks if Mouse stole the leaf. Mouse calmly replies in the negative. Bird reminds Squirrel it’s “perfectly normal to lose a leaf or two at this time of year.” Next morning Squirrel panics again, shrieking, “MORE LEAVES HAVE BEEN STOLEN!” Noticing Woodpecker arranging colorful leaves, Squirrel queries, “Are those my leaves?” Woodpecker tells Squirrel, “No.” Again, Bird assures Squirrel that no one’s taking the leaves and that the same thing happened last year, then encourages Squirrel to relax. Too wired to relax despite some yoga and a bath, the next day Squirrel cries “DISASTER” at the sight of bare branches. Frantic now, Squirrel becomes suspicious upon discovering Bird decorating with multicolored leaves. Is Bird the culprit? In response, Bird shows Squirrel the real Leaf Thief: the wind. Squirrel’s wildly dramatic, misguided, and hyperpossessive reaction to a routine seasonal event becomes a rib-tickling farce through clever use of varying type sizes and weights emphasizing his absurd verbal pronouncements as well as exaggerated, comic facial expressions and body language. Bold colors, arresting perspectives, and intense close-ups enhance Squirrel’s histrionics. Endnotes explain the science behind the phenomenon.
A hilarious autumnal comedy of errors. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-3520-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories.
Kids know vegetables can be scary, but rarely are edible roots out to get someone. In this whimsical mock-horror tale, carrots nearly frighten the whiskers off Jasper Rabbit, an interloper at Crackenhopper Field.
Jasper loves carrots, especially those “free for the taking.” He pulls some in the morning, yanks out a few in the afternoon, and comes again at night to rip out more. Reynolds builds delicious suspense with succinct language that allows understatements to be fully exploited in Brown’s hilarious illustrations. The cartoon pictures, executed in pencil and then digitally colored, are in various shades of gray and serve as a perfectly gloomy backdrop for the vegetables’ eerie orange on each page. “Jasper couldn’t get enough carrots … / … until they started following him.” The plot intensifies as Jasper not only begins to hear the veggies nearby, but also begins to see them everywhere. Initially, young readers will wonder if this is all a product of Jasper’s imagination. Was it a few snarling carrots or just some bathing items peeking out from behind the shower curtain? The ending truly satisfies both readers and the book’s characters alike. And a lesson on greed goes down like honey instead of a forkful of spinach.
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0297-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
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