These two comic characters are sly as any fox—and endearing to boot.
This 10th in the translated Swedish series has farmer Pettson and his talking cat, Findus, trying to outfox a fox.
With plenty of chickens and firewood, the two of them are content on their farm—until cranky neighbor Gustavsson shows up, asking if they’ve seen a fox that’s stealing chickens. Pettson and Findus immediately plan a scheme to scare the fox away by making a fake chicken. A balloon filled with black pepper and covered with chicken feathers should do the trick. But is that enough? Firecrackers, a zip line, and a ghost (Findus in a sheet) embellish the plan. The folk-tale quality of the story lends it down-home flavor, and the banter between farmer and cat is a large part of the fun. But the real cleverness lies in the lively, intricately detailed illustrations: a tiny bathtub with five mice sits on the workbench next to a pencil holder that appears to be full of telephone poles, just one of many details that will have readers poring over this book for hours. Though the text is longer than usual for a picture book and part of a series, this story can easily stand alone and may well lead the readers to previous adventures of Pettson and Findus.
These two comic characters are sly as any fox—and endearing to boot. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7358-4215-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2015
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
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
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