Picture Book Review: Not Yeti by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Claire Keane (2021)

Quick Booktalk

Most monsters are scary, loud and mean, but Not Yeti, who prefers quieter, gentler activities.

About the Illustrations 

The pictures in this book feel very fast-paced and busy, as though they are in constant motion. Quick messy lines portray various physical movements, both of Yeti and his mean monster counterparts. Many pages incorporate speech bubbles which might make reading the book aloud a little bit complicated. Some pages have panels that may also be too difficult to make out at much of a distance.

Story Time Possibilities

Clever title aside, I won't read this book aloud myself because it has a character in it named Itchy Bottom. I think it would have been possible to get across that the other monsters are gross and obnoxious without resorting to cheap bathroom humor. If someone were to read this to an audience, I think lower elementary kids are probably the most likely to enjoy it. I could see it as a potential read-aloud to establish a classroom policy of kindness, for example. 

Readers Advisory

On its face, the point of this book seems to be that peace and love are the answers to everything and opting out of violent and negative behavior is a sign of goodness and strength. Yeti is a bit like Ferdinand, in that he prefers to do his own thing in his own way. There is a part of me, though, that wondered whether there was a secondary message to the book. Yeti is a monster, and yet he chooses to reject everything monsters do and essentially reinvent what a monster is. I didn't like the feeling that I was being led to accept that anyone can be anything they want, and that the identity we're born with can be rejected at will. I admit that I may be reading way more into this than is there, but it was a weird creeping feeling that made the book not sit quite right with me. 

Disclosure 

I received a finished review copy of Not Yeti from Viking in exchange for an honest review. 

Picture Book Review: The Walloos' Big Adventure by Anuska Allepuz (2021)

Quick Booktalk

Led by Old Walloo, Little Walloo and the whole Walloo family take a trip to visit a tropical island only to discover they've been vacationing on the back of another animal. 

About the Illustrations 

The Walloos are colorful kangaroo or wallaby-esque creatures with cartoonish facial features. Their surroundings of jagged rocks, choppy waters, starry nights and fuzzy plants are textured and often fill the background all the way to the edges of the page. In general the illustrations have enough contrast to be seen at some distance, so it would be possible to share this book in a classroom or other small-group scenario. The book also has lovely endpapers, which show shadows of living things in the water. At the beginning of the book, they are filled with plants, but at the end there is a change to reflect the discovery made by the characters during the story.

Story Time Possibilities

This book is being promoted as an ecology lesson, but I was a bit confused about the exact message it was trying to deliver. The story is fine without that didactic element, and I actually prefer a book that doesn't preach, so for me that was not a problem. I think the twist at the end will be surprising to preschoolers, who are the best audience for this story based on the short paragraphs on most pages and the focus on Little Walloo's perspective. It would be fun to plan a story time about adventures and include this book alongside fun classics like We're Going on a Bear Hunt and Jamberry. 

Readers Advisory 

I think it would be interesting to pair this book with Margaret Wise Brown's classic, The Little Fur Family, to compare and contrast the two families of unspecified mammals. I don't think it's as great a book as it claims to be for introducing environmentalism, but it would certainly suit the needs of a nature-loving reader.

Disclosure 

I received a finished review copy of The Walloos' Big Adventure from Candlewick Press in an exchange for an honest review.  

Picture Book Review: My School Stinks! by Becky Scharnhorst, illustrated by Julia Patton (2021)

Quick Booktalk

In a series of diary entries a young boy relates his shocking experiences attending a school for wild animals. 

About the Illustrations

Each two-page spread in this book consists of an image of the boy's diary entry on lined paper, accompanied by a scene that illustrates some incident mentioned in the entry. The color scheme is pretty subdued considering all the excitement that goes on in the story, and sometimes it is hard to know where the reader's eye is meant to be drawn first. Though the contrast between what the text conveys and what is shown by the pictures is meant to provide the story's humor, the illustrations are too subtle on many pages to make that work. 

Story Time Possibilities

Though there is lots of physical action on each page to engage the reader, the details are too subtle to be seen by more than a handful of listeners sitting pretty close to the adult who is reading aloud, so this book is only going to work in a small-group story time setting. I do think it could be used to help break the ice with kids who are nervous about the first day of school, since wild animals attending school is pretty silly and laughter is a good way to deal with tension. For homeschooled kids like mine, the interest will be more in the animal humor than the school aspect.

Readers Advisory

This book would be fun to pair with There's a Dinosaur on the 13th Floor by Wade Bradford or May I Bring a Friend? by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers and Beni Montresor, as both books involve animals in an unexpected environment. Because of the format of the story and the understated humor, I think it's best for independent elementary readers who can take the time to carefully observe each illustration individually. Some kids may find that the book tries to get too much out of what is essentially one joke, but for others the humor will strike just the right chord. For me personally, this wasn't quite a hit; I just never quite felt immersed in the world of the story. 

Disclosure 

I received a finished review copy of My School Stinks! from Penguin Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. 

Picture Book Review: Goodbye, Friend! Hello, Friend! by Cori Doerrfeld (2021)

Quick Booktalk

Following two little girls from the time they meet to the time one of them moves away, this book highlights the new opportunities presented by every goodbye. 

About the Illustrations

The pictures in this book are in a style that would be suitable for a graphic novel, though most pages do not have speech bubbles or other graphic novel elements. Since the text is more abstract, the specificity of the illustrations is what really carries the story. The characters' personalities and their friendships comes through visually even when the text is more philosophical and vague. Though a few pages have details that are better seen up close, for the most part the bold lines and contrasting colors can engage the eye at a distance as well. Readers who keep score regarding diversity will be pleased to note a variety of skin tones and clothing styles in the background of many of the pictures.  

Story Time Possibilities

I like this book for a variety of themes: hello and/or goodbye, opposites, friendship, moving, etc. The text on each page is minimal enough for toddlers and young preschoolers, but the subject matter as a whole makes it best suited to a pre-K or young elementary audience. There are quite a few scenes set in school that also make this a natural choice to read to a class on the first day of a new school year to help break the ice.

Readers Advisory

The most obvious uses for this book are either to comfort a child after a difficult goodbye or to make children feel at home in a new situation,  Other books that would pair well with this one include Timothy Goes to School by Rosemary Wells and Rosie and Rasmus by Serena Geddes, both of which involve making new friends and saying goodbye. It also made me think about Duck and Penguin are Not Friends by Julia Woolf, which has a similar illustration style and gives a different take on friendship. 

Disclosure

I received a finished copy of Goodbye Friend! Hello Friend! from Penguin Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.