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PS
Hedgehog has been baking cookies for her friends and neighbors, but "Bear should have a grand gift, a special gift, something wonderful...just like Bear." Nothing seems good enough until her home's decorations give her the best idea: a giant gingerbread house. When a gusty wind turns Hedgehog's creation into a pile of crumbs, Bear comes to her rescue and reveals her own present attempt, reminding the two just how well suited they are as friends. Red ribbons and berries plus snow-covered pines, wreaths, and other greenery give the gouache and colored-pencil illustrations a cheerful wintry feel. The front endpapers feature "Hedgehog's Gingerbread Cookies" and "Grandma's Honey Icing" recipes.
Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2022
40 pp.
| Amazon/Two Lions
| May, 2019
|
TradeISBN 978-1-5420-4428-8$17.99
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PS
Illustrated by
Christopher Weyant.
In the latest outing for these bear besties, the pair is confronted with a major challenge: "Can I play with you?" asks a third party. One bear welcomes this interloper; the other feels excluded and isn't above a little sabotage. The hilarious histrionics are set against white backdrops that foreground the cartoonish bears' Elephant and Piggie–worthy shtick.
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Liana Hee.
Princess Brianna Bright loves ballet and fencing, but she isn't very good at either--until thieves steal jewels from the castle, and Brianna combines ballet moves with fencing to save the day. Calvert cleverly points out similarities between ballet and fencing in this tale of girl power. Hee's digital illustrations are slick and twee but capture the strength and grace of Brianna's movements. Glos.
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Christopher Weyant.
Pencil and her friends give Eraser no respect: they taunt her for not being "creative." Tired of playing "Pencil's pooper-scooper," Eraser splits the scene and unexpectedly encounters some discarded papers that remind her of her importance: she gives second chances. Set inside a school bereft of humans, the story delivers ticklish wordplay against ink and watercolor art starring comically anthropomorphized desk mainstays.
(3)
K-3
A little boy doesn't want to go to bed because he imagines all the amazing things that happen when he's asleep. The truth is even wackier than he imagined: the boy spies his parents partying and cracking jokes with his toy duck and other animals in boisterously illustrated scenes with speech bubbles. Mack leaves readers wondering what's real in this silly, energetic (and not for bedtime) book.
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PS
After human baby Leo is swept out to sea, he's raised by sea lions that he grows to love. Upon being discovered on shore by another child, Leo is reunited with his birth parents; unfortunately, he misses his sea family. The problem is resolved to everyone's satisfaction--including the reader's. Vogel packs an impressive amount of tenderness into flagrantly cartoonish digital art.
(3)
K-3
Jack's orange toy dinosaur Dexter (Don't Forget Dexter!) is wracked with anxiety as Show-and-Tell Day looms at Jack's school: Is he cool enough? Dexter frantically experiments with various costumes and performances, responding directly to the reader's implied criticisms. Ultimately, Dexter makes a splash by being himself. The conversational text and ink, colored-pencil, and cut-paper art capture a common worry with humor and reassurance.
32 pp.
| Amazon/Two Lions
| April, 2017
|
TradeISBN 978-1-5039-3920-2$17.99
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PS
Illustrated by
Jackie Urbanovic.
Platypus tries to play with the kangaroos, dingoes, possums, and fruit bats, but he never quite fits in, and his clumsiness earns him the name "Splatypus." Eventually, he discovers swimming with other aquatic animals and realizes where he belongs. The rhyming text is full of onomatopoeic tongue twisters ("HOBBLE, BOBBLE, WIGGLE, WOBBLE"). Comical illustrations prominently feature Platypus's blue feet and bill against dusty outback scenes.
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
John Bendall-Brunello.
Little Puppy and bigger Bear become friends and spend the rest of the summer playing together...until Bear doesn't show up one day. But it's just because school has started, and Bear reassures Puppy that they can still play after school. Inconsistent anthropomorphism in the watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations muddies the plot in this tame story of different-age friendship.
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Tracy Bishop.
Little girl Pipsie eagerly uses her detective skills to determine which creature stung her talking-turtle sidekick Alfred during their earlier park visit. A mosquito? A spider? A bee? It's a contrived mystery with touches of humor, but as the two retrace their morning walk, the lighthearted text and large, pastel-colored illustrations offer relevant wildlife details. Additional facts about insects are appended.
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Edwardian Taylor.
In this metafictional fairy-tale retelling, the narrator pushes reluctant hero Jack to follow the prescribed story line, but young Jack--via speech balloons--keeps highlighting the plot's ridiculousness. Their playful banter ends with Jack refusing to follow the narrator's ending and instead opening up a beans restaurant with the giant. Taylor's cartoony digital illustrations enhance the humor and feature lots of recognizable fairy-tale characters.
40 pp.
| Amazon/Two Lions
| May, 2017
|
TradeISBN 978-1503948372$17.99
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K-3
Illustrated by
Valerio Fabbretti.
A little girl named Dr. Wonderful ponders why the moon seems to shrink in the sky. Accompanied by her dog Newton, she takes off in her "Space-tastic Mind Mobile" to explore the moon and find answers for herself. Bright digital illustrations help illustrate the concept of lunar phases explained in a wordy, drawn-out text. A list of lunar facts is appended.
(3)
PS
Illustrated by
Christopher Weyant.
Two bears psych themselves up to ride a roller coaster by listing things that are scarier: snakes, spiders, hot lava...yikes, a roller coaster with a snake! Happily, the snake makes a good ride companion; together they decide that sometimes it's fun to be scared. Simple dialogue-and-sound-effects text, easy-to-parse cartoon illustrations, and clean design make this funny story accessible for preschoolers almost ready for easy readers.
(4)
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Illustrated by
Andrew Joyner.
Unlikely pals Duck and Hippo splash in the springtime rain--then umbrella-holding Duck gets carried off (Rainstorm); they invite their friends on a summertime picnic--then Hippo gets lost (Found). Cartoon art, rendered in brush-and-ink with wash and pencil and digitally colored, depict the silly (and slim) escapades that celebrate friendship and the benefits of sticking together. Review covers these titles: Duck and Hippo in the Rainstorm and Duck and Hippo Lost and Found.
(4)
PS
Illustrated by
Andrew Joyner.
Unlikely pals Duck and Hippo splash in the springtime rain--then umbrella-holding Duck gets carried off (Rainstorm); they invite their friends on a summertime picnic--then Hippo gets lost (Found). Cartoon art, rendered in brush-and-ink with wash and pencil and digitally colored, depict the silly (and slim) escapades that celebrate friendship and the benefits of sticking together. Review covers these titles: Duck and Hippo in the Rainstorm and Duck and Hippo Lost and Found.
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Edward Hemingway.
Cat Mr. Fuzzbuster is obviously owner Lily's favorite. His fellow pets disagree, so the smug kitty writes a note asking Lily to decide. Her response is not what Mr. Fuzzbuster expected (though listeners might have), inspiring him to shift his perspective. The well-paced text--which includes silly pet names and a final twist--is complemented by humorous mixed-media illustrations conveying Mr. Fuzzbuster's emotional roller coaster.
40 pp.
| Amazon/Two Lions
| April, 2017
|
TradeISBN 978-1503950979$17.99
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PS
Illustrated by
Ovi Nedelcu.
City-dwelling Little Car moves "Out West" to pursue his dream of becoming a cowboy, but there's a roadblock in his path: cars can't ride horses. Is there a workaround? This genial plug for not giving up on dreams traffics in groaner wordplay ("Little Car did a brake dance") and cartoonish art that makes the West look not unlike Hanna-Barbera country.
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Rhode Montijo.
Benny the bull shark is a bully without any friends. When Benny demands friendship from Janice Jellyfish, the wise invertebrate takes him to Friend School. Watercolor, pen-and-ink, and digital cartoons show well-meaning Benny's humorous misunderstanding of rules such as "#2: a friend always tells the truth" ("My, Janice, you are an ugly jellyfish"). The slight friendship primer ends on a sweet note at graduation.
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4-6
Blood Guard series.
Ronan and friends must win their fight to protect the world from the evil Bend Sinister group, including Ronan's dad. The fateful decisions with which Ronan is faced heighten the tension throughout as we see him mature into someone worthy of being a Blood Guard. Action, spy craft, and mysticism weave together in this exciting trilogy-ender.
(3)
K-3
Sibling rivalry ensues when two young brothers clash over their prized possessions. Told in a dramatic legendary style ("In the beginning, a great warrior laid claim to the land"), the boys make peace when "Mamabarian" (Mom) calls a halt to their epic battle. Cut-paper, pencil, and crayon illustrations cartoonishly depict the young boys--one in diapers, both sporting pretend-knight gear.