Dinosaurs and dragons don’t usually mix, but when little Gingersnap’s wings fail her up in the clouds, she crashes right into Freddie down on the ground. A face-off transpires.
Bobbleheads, overbites and almost identical bodies make the impending fisticuffs immediately comedic and cute. Gingersnap’s minuscule bow, holding a single lock of purple dragon hair, doesn’t hurt either. The scrawny tykes feud and fight across a spiky, barbed world of primordial plants, big-eyed bugs and fanged lizards. Readers will eagerly explore this densely populated environment while giggling at Freddie and Gingersnap’s silly skirmish. Finger and toe claws “click” and “clack”; teeth “snip” and “snap.” Lively onomatopoeic action words run throughout, appearing within the artwork in purple and green block letters that correspond nicely with Freddie’s moss-green and Gingersnap’s plum-purple bodies. A dramatic foldout depicts these little bodies clinging together at the edge of a precipice and then landing (“PLIP! PLOP!”) in a thorn patch. Freddie’s encouragement helps Gingersnap get her wings moving, and the two of them make their way out of the brambles. To children who scowl at the opposite gender (Are they a different species or what?), Freddie and Gingersnap’s rivalry makes perfect sense, as does the way it evolves quickly into a blurred angry/fun game of chase and eventually into a mutual adventure.
A light look at childhood friendship and the complicated, primitive feelings that often accompany any relationship. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4231-5958-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Oct. 20, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2013
Did you like this book?
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The perfect book for kids who love dragons and mild tacos.
Rubin’s story starts with an incantatory edge: “Hey, kid! Did you know that dragons love tacos? They love beef tacos and chicken tacos. They love really big gigantic tacos and tiny little baby tacos as well.” The playing field is set: dragons, tacos. As a pairing, they are fairly silly, and when the kicker comes in—that dragons hate spicy salsa, which ignites their inner fireworks—the silliness is sillier still. Second nature, after all, is for dragons to blow flames out their noses. So when the kid throws a taco party for the dragons, it seems a weak device that the clearly labeled “totally mild” salsa comes with spicy jalapenos in the fine print, prompting the dragons to burn down the house, resulting in a barn-raising at which more tacos are served. Harmless, but if there is a parable hidden in the dragon-taco tale, it is hidden in the unlit deep, and as a measure of lunacy, bridled or unbridled, it doesn’t make the leap into the outer reaches of imagination. Salmieri’s artwork is fitting, with a crabbed, ethereal line work reminiscent of Peter Sís, but the story does not offer it enough range.
A wandering effort, happy but pointless. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 14, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3680-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
Categories: CHILDREN'S DRAGONS & MYTHICAL CREATURES
Did you like this book?
Oliver, of first-day-of-school alligator fame, is back, imagining adventures and still struggling to find balance between introversion and extroversion.
“When Oliver found his egg…” on the playground, mint-green backgrounds signifying Oliver’s flight into fancy slowly grow larger until they take up entire spreads; Oliver’s creature, white and dinosaurlike with orange polka dots, grows larger with them. Their adventures include sharing treats, sailing the seas and going into outer space. A classmate’s yell brings him back to reality, where readers see him sitting on top of a rock. Even considering Schmid’s scribbly style, readers can almost see the wheels turning in his head as he ponders the girl and whether or not to give up his solitary play. “But when Oliver found his rock… // Oliver imagined many adventures // with all his friends!” This last is on a double gatefold that opens to show the children enjoying the creature’s slippery curves. A final wordless spread depicts all the children sitting on rocks, expressions gleeful, wondering, waiting, hopeful. The illustrations, done in pastel pencil and digital color, again make masterful use of white space and page turns, although this tale is not nearly as funny or tongue-in-cheek as Oliver and His Alligator (2013), nor is its message as clear and immediately accessible to children.
Still, this young boy’s imagination is a powerful force for helping him deal with life, something that should be true for all children but sadly isn’t. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: July 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4231-7573-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2014
Did you like this book?
© Copyright 2022 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
