Ada and Campoy team up again (¡Pío Peep!, 2003, etc.) to produce this lovely anthology of rhymes, songs and poems from the Hispanic oral tradition. The selection is focused on popular verses with animal themes, which plays naturally to the interests of young ones and will make parents and grandparents recollect their own childhoods. Some of the poems are very simple and create enjoyment just by the repetition of a syllable: “Debajo de un botón, ton ton, / que encontró Martín, tin tin / había un ratón, ton, ton…” Others are more complex and tell a story, presented as a dramatic piece, such as “Las bodas de la pulga y el piojo/The Flea’s Wedding.” The collection is enriched by the inclusion of some verses written by the authors, inspired by the repetition and form of the genre. Zubizarreta’s musical English renditions of the rhymes increase the uses of this collection, making it a valuable bilingual resource. Escrivá’s depictions of children and the animals’ humorous expressions infuse each page with an infectious, childlike happiness. (Nursery rhymes. 1-7)
Pub Date: March 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-06-134613-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Rayo/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2010
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S POETRY
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A sweet celebration of the bond between a mother and her Pookie.
The eighth installment in this always charming series eschews the episodic drama and silliness of earlier outing such as Spooky Pookie (2015) in favor of a mom’s-eye-view celebration of her child and the time they spend together. There is, of course, nothing wrong with drama and silliness. But while the lack of conflict and plot in favor of unapologetic sentiment makes this book a quick read, that doesn’t make it any less endearing. The rhymed verse captures a mother’s wonder as she observes the many facets of her child’s personality: “Ah, Pookie. My little one. My funny one. My child. // Sometimes you are quiet. Sometimes you are wild.” On the simple joys of shared moments, she notes, “I love to go walking with you by my side. / I love when we sing when we go for a ride. // And I love just to watch as you think and you play. / The way that you are is a wonderful way.” Paired with author/illustrator Boynton’s irresistible renderings of a porcine mommy and her playful, snuggly little piglet, the result is impossible to fault. Whether quietly reading, running in a tiger suit, singing with mom in the car, ears flapping in the breeze, or enjoying the safety of mom’s embrace, Pookie’s appeal continues unabated.
An unabashed love letter from mother. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Dec. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3723-4
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS
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Hee haw.
32
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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
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