Young dreamers and aviators (and piglets) will respond with delight.
by James Burks ; illustrated by James Burks ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 27, 2018
What does it take to get a pig aloft?
Sibling pigs Henry and Henrietta of Pigs and a Blanket (2016) are back, with Henry in control of the blanket they learned to share in their previous outing (it makes a great superhero cape). He’s determined to be the first pig to fly. When his taped-on cardboard wings result in a crash, Henrietta suggests they fly a kite…which Henry rides for crash No. 2. Oscillating-fan jet pack? There’s a third crash, and Henrietta wonders if she will need a helmet if she continues to help. Balloons? Feathers? Trampoline? No flight in sight. Henry gives up. But his sister, who had been trying to make a King Kong movie before helping Henry try to fly, has an imaginative idea to bring his dream to life. Turns out pigs can fly pretty high if they have the right special effects. Burks’ enthusiastic tale of porcine perseverance is told entirely in dialogue between its pink, porky principals. Bright colors and wide-eyed cartoon characters in the illustrations have a pleasantly textured, chalky look and extend and complement the text, easily communicating Henry’s excitement.
Young dreamers and aviators (and piglets) will respond with delight. (Picture book. 2-7)Pub Date: Feb. 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4847-2524-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Dec. 3, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2018
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY
Share your opinion of this book
Did you like this book?
More by James Burks
BOOK REVIEW
by James Burks ; illustrated by James Burks
BOOK REVIEW
by Stephanie Calmenson & Joanna Cole ; illustrated by James Burks
BOOK REVIEW
by James Burks ; illustrated by James Burks
by Jimmy Fallon ; illustrated by Miguel Ordóñez ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 9, 2015
A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.
A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
Categories: CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY
Share your opinion of this book
Did you like this book?
More About This Book
SEEN & HEARD
by Craig Smith ; illustrated by Katz Cowley ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2010
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. 29, 2018
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS
Share your opinion of this book
Did you like this book?
More by Craig Smith
BOOK REVIEW
by Craig Smith ; illustrated by Katz Cowley
BOOK REVIEW
by Doug MacLeod ; illustrated by Craig Smith
BOOK REVIEW
by Adam Osterweil and illustrated by Craig Smith
© Copyright 2022 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.