Hare builds a bear out of sand, but doesn’t take much effort to do it right—he gives his Sandbear a tiny mouth, a strand of grass for a hand (only one), small bumps for legs, driftwood for a nose, and no clothes. When Hare goes home for lunch, Sandbear gets cold and tries to shuffle into the forest to get warm; then gets hungry and tries unsuccessfully to pick up and eat a carrot with his grass hand and pinhole mouth. When Sandbear discovers that Hare has fallen into a hole, he sacrifices himself by jumping into the hole to make a pile of sand big enough for Hare to use to climb out of the hole. Overcome with remorse at seeing only sand, grass, and pebbles remaining in the hole, Hare resolves to rebuild his friend more completely and give him some clothes this time. The scenes of poor Sandbear shuffling along and trying to eat with one ineffective hand are a bit disturbing, and even more so when Hare pulls the grass hand off trying to get out of the hole. Although the initial premise of playing in the sand and creating an imaginary playmate provide appeal, kids may feel pity for Sandbear and dislike for Hare rather than relating to either one. Painterly illustrations featuring beach colors of sandy yellow and the aqua of the sea and sky are appealing and evoke the feeling of the seashore, but don’t quite make up for the strange, sad story. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: June 1, 2001
ISBN: 1-58234-758-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2002
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
Turkey’s in the “kind of trouble where it’s almost Thanksgiving...and you’re the main course.” Accordingly, Turkey tries on disguise after disguise, from horse to cow to pig to sheep, at each iteration being told that he looks nothing like the animal he’s trying to mimic (which is quite true, as Harper’s quirky watercolors make crystal clear). He desperately squeezes a red rubber glove onto his head to pass as a rooster, only to overhear the farmer suggest a poultry plan B when he’s unable to turn up the turkey. Turkey’s horrified expression as he stands among the peppers and tomatoes—in November? Chalk it up to artistic license—is priceless, but his surroundings give him an idea. Good fun, but it may lead to a vegetarian table or two. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-7614-5529-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2009
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