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32 pp.
| HarperCollins/Harper
| August, 2011
|
TradeISBN 978-0-06-114239-0$16.99
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Howard Fine.
Despite the cloaked and fanged pig known to prowl the farm at night, Duck's rumbling tummy sends him out for a midnight snack. Fear builds as the rhyming text tells of Duck's escape from Hampire, concluding with a humorous vegetarian twist. Rich-hued illustrations set in deep-night blues add suspense to the silly barnyard tale.
40 pp.
| Harcourt
| May, 2008
|
TradeISBN 978-0-15-216314-3$16.00
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Howard Fine.
This parody of "Sleeping Beauty" gets points for inspired silliness (fairy Tintinnitus is half-deaf, leading her to cast a spell requiring not a "prince" but a "quince"); it loses a few for overloading the reader with gags and gimmicks, not all of them successful (e.g., the frog narrator who repeatedly says, "Yada yada, hippity-hop"). The watercolors capture the semi-grotesque medieval inanity.
32 pp.
| Holt
| September, 2006
|
TradeISBN 0-8050-6917-8$16.95
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Howard Fine.
These fourteen poems about monsters, ghosts, dragons, and the like were previously published in anthologies that are now out of print. Fine's charcoal and gouache illustrations are more comic than creepy and provide a good match for the lighthearted verses that are not too spooky for small children.
32 pp.
| Hyperion
| May, 2004
|
TradeISBN 0-7868-1884-0$$15.99
(4)
PS
Illustrated by
Howard Fine.
Little Runt can't sleep because the itchy straw bed he shares with his family is too crowded. The other pigs' stinky feet, drooling, laughing, sleep-dancing, and snoring keep him awake, so one by one, Little Runt kicks them out of bed, but then can't sleep with all that room. The simple, repetitious rhyming text and the bold, painterly illustrations make for a somewhat predictable but humorous read.
40 pp.
| Harcourt
| September, 2003
|
TradeISBN 0-15-204609-7$$16.00
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Howard Fine.
Six dinosaurs set sail with great bravado but have trouble when a storm hits. "They dinosault like Ping-Pong balls, / Bumping dinorumps and walls." After becoming spectacularly seasick, they decide to forsake sailing and become train enthusiasts instead. Lund may overuse the "dino" prefix, but her bouncy rhyme will elicit chuckles, and the in-your-face illustrations are well suited to their preposterous subject.
32 pp.
| Clarion
| August, 2003
|
TradeISBN 0-395-88913-8$$15.00
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Howard Fine
&
Howard Fine.
With a rhymed text and a refrain repeated in large print, this countdown story falls a little flat. While amusing details appear (the monsters are seen reading, hanging from the ceiling fan, and diving into the turtle tank) in the intensely colored art, the language just doesn't fly. "Rick! Rack! Wrinkleshack! / Don't you dare come back!" seems like an odd mantra to make a monster disappear.
32 pp.
| Hyperion
| August, 2003
|
TradeISBN 0-7868-0418-1$$15.99
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Howard Fine.
With a witch's brew of wordplay, alliteration, and deliberately bad jokes, Palatini stirs up trouble when two witch-sisters get together for their "howliday party." The sisters are grownups, but you wouldn't know it, so quickly do the taunts--and pillows--fly: "You're a fright for sore eyes!" While the text is more a succession of one-liners and tart rejoinders than it is a story, reading it aloud is lots of fun. Fine's dynamic paintings are as brassy as the text.
32 pp.
| Holt
| May, 2003
|
TradeISBN 0-8050-6544-X$$15.95
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Howard Fine.
"Moonlight, / June night, / Just-right-for-raccoon night." Indeed, it's the ideal time for a raccoon family to hunt for dinner. Unfortunately, the humans have closed the garbage-can lids too tightly, and the raccoons have a terrible time trying to open them. The taut rhyming text will prove fun to read aloud, and the blue-tinted images of the raccoon family foraging at night perfectly capture the mischievous mood.
32 pp.
| Philomel
| October, 2001
|
TradeISBN 0-399-23331-8$$15.99
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Howard Fine.
To defend the town of Pleasant, Steamboat Annie, the town's larger-than-life mayor, must face off with Ernie, a colossal catfish who is eating small boats, docks, and even took a bite out of the church. In "a fearsome fishing battle," she defeats not only Ernie but also her unscrupulous rival Jefferson Jackson. Vigorous acrylic paintings enhance the tall-tale atmosphere of this story set on the Ohio River.
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Howard Fine.
Before making it on the silver screen, mild-mannered King Kong peddled Ape-On cosmetics--according to this offbeat tale. Crisp narration and goofy puns help make the premise work. Fine's skillful use of perspective and rich pastels intensifies the future star's mammoth, yet amusingly dapper appearance. Readers will chuckle at the bespectacled, bow-tied behemoth hawking his Gorilla Mist perfume.
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Howard Fine.
On her way to buy ingredients for Bunny Bread, Gritch the Witch's old broom sputters and dies. She heads to Foxy's, where the abrasive witch meets her match in a slick salesfox. More dependent on wordplay than plot, the story loses focus as the witch and the fox engage in a lengthy, homophonous "Who's on First?" routine. Lively illustrations match the frenetic romp in this sequel to Piggie Pie.
(3)
K-3
Disgusted with the sandwich his mother prepares for him, Zak imagines himself in his own personal restaurant where his own personal waitress encourages him to order one kid-friendly food after another. Lavishly depicted treats, such as table-top-sized pizzas and a tidal wave of ice cream, lend weight to this good-natured, lively daydream, well suited to reading aloud.