As a digital subscriber, you’ll receive unlimited access to Horn Book web exclusives and extensive archives, as well as access to our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database.
To access other site content, visit The Horn Book homepage.
To continue you need an active subscription to hbook.com.
Subscribe now to gain immediate access to everything hbook.com has to offer, as well as our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database, which contains tens of thousands of short, critical reviews of books published in the United States for young people.
Thank you for registering. To have the latest stories delivered to your inbox, select as many free newsletters as you like below.
No thanks. Return to article
32 pp.
| Putnam
| April, 2012
|
TradeISBN 978-0-399-25526-7$16.99
(4)
PS
Now that he's old enough, and with mama's encouragement ("I'm sure you can be as brave as the rest"), an owlet takes his first flight; he encounters many things that frighten him until he learns what they are. The simple rhyming text is unremarkable, but the cool, soft watercolors do convey the owlet's fear of the unfamiliar night.
32 pp.
| Putnam
| March, 2010
|
TradeISBN 978-0-399-25216-7$16.99
(3)
K-3
When Mama gets sick, what's a raccoon family to do? Why, take care of her, of course, and deal with the baby, the meals, and the house. The comfortable rhyme scheme, complemented by warm and amusing watercolor illustrations, recounts the family's struggle in Mama's absence. The denouement is a frantic rush to clean up at day's end.
32 pp.
| Putnam
| October, 2007
|
TradeISBN 978-0-399-24545-9$16.99
(3)
PS
Young raccoon Sally has her bedtime routine down pat. But role reversal provides a new twist: Mom and Dad want to stay up and play. Soft pastels belie the parents' frenzied pleas, and, coupled with the metronomic rhyme, naturally lead to the calming conclusion: "You can sleep, Sally. / We love you -- / Good night."
(3)
K-3
After Mr. Flotsam's yard sale, Spudville's residents are irritated to find that their unexpectedly magical purchases, such as a flying rug and a nonstop pasta maker, are threatening to disrupt their orderly lives. The children, however, can appreciate such things, and Spudville becomes a livelier, more neighborly place. The watercolor illustrations for this light, amusing tale show a multicultural cast of round-faced townspeople.
(3)
K-3
Witty retellings of three well-known tales feature good-natured monsters as the main characters. In "Peas," the prince's parents approve his choice for a wife after she slumbers soundly despite the hidden mattress pea. In "Beans," the giant, stranded by a felled beanstalk, finds a permanent, loving home with Jack and his mother. In "Monster Stew," Hansel and Gretel literally eat the witch out of house and home. Watercolors in muted tones suit these mild monsters and extend the stories' humor.