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(4)
K-3
After lion Leonard meets duck Marianne, they form an unlikely friendship. When Leonard is taunted by his fellow lions for not devouring Marianne ("you must be fierce!"), he defends himself--with a homespun poem. The book is acutely humane if a bit top-heavy with omniscient narration that spells out Vere's worthy be-yourself message. Placid portraits show the odd couple at play and deep in conversation.
(3)
PS
Before going to bed, cat Max wants to say good night to the moon...but he can't find it. He treks from his house, through the city, up a moonlit hill, and back--all fronted against the digital illustrations' silhouette-filled settings with varying perspective and palette. Max's enormous eyes and eloquent tail communicate his frustration, then his contentment, in this simple bedtime story.
32 pp.
| Holt
| July, 2012
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8050-9509-8$14.99
(2)
PS
This scary-silly bedtime story begins: "Do you ever wonder if somewhere...there might be...MONSTERS?" More questions follow, as a goofy-looking monster tromps through the forest, mud, and mountains toward a house. Does he want "to GOBBLE YOU UP?" The interplay between image and text adds humor and signals there's nothing to fear. Jittery black lines, varied fonts, and a bold palette add lots of energy.
Reviewer: Ashley Waring
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2012
24 pp.
| Holt
| November, 2010
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8050-9214-1$12.99
(3)
PS
One monkey has a banana, another monkey wants it. With just two words (banana and please), Vere traverses an entire world of emotions which even the youngest listeners will recognize. From the Warhol-style endpapers to the monkeys themselves, Vere uses bright colors and raw-edged lines to reinforce the wildly variant feelings depicted in each spread.
40 pp.
| McElderry
| September, 2007
|
TradeISBN 978-1-4169-4789-9$16.99
(4)
K-3
Zooming away on his scooter after stealing cheese, mouse Fingers McGraw asks readers to keep watch for elephant lawman Jumbo Wayne Jr. The plot's weak and there are some adult jokes ("She's hot! But I don't need company right now"), but readers may enjoy Fingers's appeals and reproaches ("Hey, kid!...Maybe crime just isn't your racket!") and the frenetic mixed-media illustrations.