While the relationship between parent and child is a lovely, loving one, this book doesn’t do much that isn’t being done...
The grumple of the title is a small, white-furred animal with a bushy black tail and ears, dressed in pajamas.
Its mom, a bigger version of the young animal, wearing a prim, flowered dress, tries to wake it with kisses and songs and to entice it outdoors to see the other animals. In their suburban woodland house, the grumple sleeps under a patchwork quilt, holding its fox doll. Addressing readers directly, the text advises: “If it’s [sic] brow begins to furrow, / If it hides inside its burrow, / Then lean close and sing a little louder: / Shush—Shush—There’s no rush / The sun is gold in the morning hush.” That golden sun has a greenish cast in Gauthier’s mixed-media collage illustrations, and the palette used throughout is mostly made of dull grays, greens, and browns. The cutout pieces (birds, a potted plant, the grumple’s toy) incorporated into the illustrations have a playful, childlike look in contrast to the somber colors. When the mother finally persuades the child to leave its comfy bed, it magically changes from its pajamas into its overalls during a verse that spans a page turn and then goes out willingly to greet the day. His friends, including a bear parent and cub standing outside, are also dressed in human clothing, but the birds and fish scattered throughout the landscape are in their natural feathers and scales. The textual decision to place readers in the position of parent rather than child is a puzzling one.
While the relationship between parent and child is a lovely, loving one, this book doesn’t do much that isn’t being done elsewhere. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 22, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-7727-8014-7
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Pajama Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way.
All the typical worries and excuses kids have about school are filtered through Willems’ hysterical, bus-loving Pigeon.
Told mostly in speech balloons, the bird’s monologue will have kids (and their caregivers) in stitches at Pigeon’s excuses. From already knowing everything (except whatever question readers choose to provide in response to “Go ahead—ask me a question. / Any question!”) to fearing learning too much (“My head might pop off”), Pigeon’s imagination has run wild. Readers familiar with Pigeon will recognize the muted, matte backgrounds that show off the bird’s shenanigans so well. As in previous outings, Willems varies the size of the pigeon on the page to help communicate emotion, the bird teeny small on the double-page spread that illustrates the confession that “I’m… / scared.” And Pigeon’s eight-box rant about all the perils of school (“The unknown stresses me out, dude”) is marvelously followed by the realization (complete with lightbulb thought bubble) that school is the place for students to practice, with experts, all those skills they don’t yet have. But it is the ending that is so Willems, so Pigeon, and so perfect. Pigeon’s last question is “Well, HOW am I supposed to get there, anyway!?!” Readers will readily guess both the answer and Pigeon’s reaction.
Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-368-04645-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
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
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