The three little piglets in this rambunctious tale, like most wee ones, have a knack for getting downright filthy. Mama Pig, however, prefers her children when they are clean and smelling fresh. Despite their loud protests, Mama carries her piglets off to a bath. But oh how they squeal and squeak while in the hated tub. Mama gets her brain working and thinks up some creative cures for their unhappiness. First she adds some bubbles and the piglets find them pretty and tickly and loads of fun. Mama Pig has more surprises up her sleeve: she supplies rubber duckies and to top it off “ . . . she splooshed and she swooshed and galooshed them all over.” And it’s a grand time for all. When her piglets are patted dry and snug in beds Mama decides she needs a bit of pampering herself. But she is surprised to find that her bath-time creativity may have backfired and that her piglets have decided that “ . . . because baths are the BEST FUN EVER!” hadn’t they better hurry and get grubby again. Perfect for bath-time, but great for lap time, Puttock’s (A Story for Hippo, 2001, etc.) read is good-humored and filled with bubbly language. Children will revel in the kid-sized cliffhangers as they anticipate the next bath ingredient. McQuillan (Get Well Soon Book, not reviewed) illuminates the story with her brushstroke textures of pudgy cuteness brightened with sparkling colors on silky paper. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: April 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-316-78816-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.
A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.
He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts. When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
Parent-child love and affection, appealingly presented, with the added attraction of the seasonal content and lack of gender...
A polar-bear parent speaks poetically of love for a child.
A genderless adult and cub travel through the landscapes of an arctic year. Each of the softly rendered double-page paintings has a very different feel and color palette as the pair go through the seasons, walking through wintry ice and snow and green summer meadows, cavorting in the blue ocean, watching whales, and playing beside musk oxen. The rhymes of the four-line stanzas are not forced, as is the case too often in picture books of this type: “When cold, winter winds / blow the leaves far and wide, / You’ll cross the great icebergs / with me by your side.” On a dark, snowy night, the loving parent says: “But for now, cuddle close / while the stars softly shine. // I’ll always be yours, / and you’ll always be mine.” As the last illustration shows the pair curled up for sleep, young listeners will be lulled to sweet dreams by the calm tenor of the pictures and the words. While far from original, this timeless theme is always in demand, and the combination of delightful illustrations and poetry that scans well make this a good choice for early-childhood classrooms, public libraries, and one-on-one home read-alouds.
Parent-child love and affection, appealingly presented, with the added attraction of the seasonal content and lack of gender restrictions. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-68010-070-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
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