An elegantly produced animal fantasy by an eminent illustrator. Jeremiah, a large-nosed, middle-aged monkey who lives "on a strange planet curiously resembling our own," is a descendant of C. Runoz de Noserac, famed for nose, sword, and poetry. His three adventures are a trip to the Shake'n'Roll Dancin' Hole, where he is uncomfortably out of place amidst the "ear-deafening noise, faintly resembling music," and the posturing revelers; a quest for his missing umbrella, assisted by one Winchester Bone, P.I., during which he becomes friends with a series of such interesting characters as a retired woodchuck and P.S. Beaver, an architect who has incorporated the umbrella in a charmingly unexpected house which she has constructed of found materials; and winning a pie-eating contest after foiling twin foxes caught trying to cheat by sharing the pie consumption. Shulevitz' 10 beautifully composed black-and-white illustrations perfectly reflect his carefully imagined world, where gentlemanly behavior and gently comical word-play convey a subtly benign philosphy of life. Like Randall Jarrell's lovely tales, this will need to be introduced to children and may not appeal to them all, but should reward those lucky enough to respond to it. It's also the sort of caper adopted by sophisticated adults.
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1986
ISBN: 0374336563
Page Count: 90
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1986
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
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