THERE WAS AN OLD LADY WHO GOBBLED A SKINK

bookshelf

THERE WAS AN OLD LADY WHO GOBBLED A SKINK

Name: THERE WAS AN OLD LADY WHO GOBBLED A SKINK
Author: Tammera Will Wissinger
ISBN: 978-1-63220-428-8

by Tammera Will Wissinger ; illustrated by Ana Bermejo ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 2, 2016

This fisherman’s adaptation doesn’t add much to the original.

bookshelf

A fishing version of the classic song “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” has readers wondering, “Perhaps she’ll sink.”

Beginning with a skink, the plump old white woman with the red cheeks and bluish-gray hair, tiny red hat perched on her round head, proceeds to eat a worm, a bobber, some fishing line, a fishing pole, a pail, a net, an oar, and a boat. This last makes her float in fact, though it doesn’t allow her to avoid the fate hinted at in the repetitive phrasing: one last snack does her in. Aside from the final page and big reveal, the list of items is repeated on each new spread, allowing for audience participation, though the rhythm and rhyme sometimes falter: “There was an old lady who gobbled a bobber. / That bobbled and wobbled and caused her to slobber.” From the visible linework, Bermejo’s cartoon illustrations appear to be colored pencil. Starting with spare pictures on white backgrounds, the artwork gradually becomes more detailed as the story moves closer to the dockside ending. While she does get a bit red in the face, looks like she might throw up, and sweats a bit, the old woman never otherwise visibly changes as a result of the items she eats, making this version a bit less gruesome than others. Children familiar with sport fishing will wonder how the skink enters the picture; all the other items she swallows are related to fishing and boating, but the skink appears to have been chosen just because it sounds funny.

This fisherman’s adaptation doesn’t add much to the original. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-63220-428-8

Page Count: 28

Publisher: Sky Pony Press

Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2015

Categories:

CHILDREN'S POETRY

- BOOK REVIEW
GONE CAMPING
by Tammera Will Wissinger ; illustrated by Matthew Cordell

bookshelf

DIGGER, DOZER, DUMPER

by Hope Vestergaard ; illustrated by David Slonim ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 27, 2013

While there are many rhyming truck books out there, this stands out for being a collection of poems.

bookshelf

Rhyming poems introduce children to anthropomorphized trucks of all sorts, as well as the jobs that they do.

Adorable multiethnic children are the drivers of these 16 trucks—from construction equipment to city trucks, rescue vehicles and a semi—easily standing in for readers, a point made very clear on the final spread. Varying rhyme schemes and poem lengths help keep readers’ attention. For the most part, the rhymes and rhythms work, as in this, from “Cement Mixer”: “No time to wait; / he can’t sit still. / He has to beg your pardon. / For if he dawdles on the way, / his slushy load will harden.” Slonim’s trucks each sport an expressive pair of eyes, but the anthropomorphism stops there, at least in the pictures—Vestergaard sometimes takes it too far, as in “Bulldozer”: “He’s not a bully, either, / although he’s big and tough. / He waits his turn, plays well with friends, / and pushes just enough.” A few trucks’ jobs get short shrift, to mixed effect: “Skid-Steer Loader” focuses on how this truck moves without the typical steering wheel, but “Semi” runs with a royalty analogy and fails to truly impart any knowledge. The acrylic-and-charcoal artwork, set against white backgrounds, keeps the focus on the trucks and the jobs they are doing.

While there are many rhyming truck books out there, this stands out for being a collection of poems. (Picture book/poetry. 3-6)

Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2013

ISBN: 978-0-7636-5078-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: May 28, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2013

Categories:

CHILDREN'S POETRY | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
POTTY ANIMALS
by Hope Vestergaard and illustrated by Valeria Petrone

- BOOK REVIEW
I DON’T WANT TO CLEAN MY ROOM
by Hope Vestergaard & illustrated by Carol Koeller

- BOOK REVIEW
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN A MONSTER SAYS BOO?
by Hope Vestergaard & illustrated by Maggie Smith

bookshelf

AMOR IS TO LOVE YOU

From the Canticos series

by Susie Jaramillo ; illustrated by Susie Jaramillo ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 8, 2022

A testament to the universality of love.

bookshelf

An expanded explanation of love in both English and Spanish.

Several animal personalities pose the question, “What is love?” and in a series of lift-the-flap responses present various emotional scenarios. Little Elephant asks Spider, “Is it the joy of having you around?” Spider asks, “Is it the way you lift me when I’m down?” Each page corresponds to a flap that reveals one of a multitude of feelings love can evoke in either an English or Spanish rhyme, which are not direct translations of each other. An interspersed refrain notes, “Amor for the Spanish, / and love en inglés. / Love in any language / always means the same.” A palette of pastels and purple and pink hues dominate as hearts abound on each page, surrounding the characters, who are adorable though on the overly sweet side. The characters are from the bilingual preschool series Canticos, though it will work even among those without knowledge of the show. Children more fluent in Spanish will be better able to appreciate this, and those familiar with the show will recognize the signature characters, including “Los Pollitos” (Little Chickies). (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A testament to the universality of love. (Board book. 3-6)