Review by New York Times Review
Young children will delight in these sweetly charming summertime picture books. SMILEY'S DREAM BOOK Written and illustrated by Jeff Smith Smith's capacious imagination takes flight, literally, in this picture book starring the happy-go-lucky, slightly dim Smiley Bone from the iconic Bone graphic novel series. Smiley takes a walk in the woods, counting the birds he sees, and finds himself flying, too. There's a suspenseful turn, and a surprise ending when he wakes and realizes it was all a dream. If you plan to steer a child toward the Bone books later (and you should!), this is a terrific introduction to a world full of wonder and unexpected rewards. 32 pp. Scholastic. $17.99. (Ages 2 to 6) THE SANDCASTLE THAT LOLA BUILT By Megan Maynor. Illustrated by Kate Berube. The joys of a day at the beach - along with those inevitable moments of frustration, too - are packed into this story of a girl building a sandcastle. There's a "dude with a Frisbee" who at first steps right on it, then helps fix it. There's a little guy with a bulldozer and a girl from Minnesota who end up helping, too. There's the wave that wipes their masterpiece away, and then the sweet moment of realizing they've formed a spontaneous "we" and can start building again. Berube's delightful paintand-collage illustrations capture an easy, playful beach mood, with a hint of mystery in the ocean and sky. 32 pp. Alfred A. Knopf. $17.99. (Ages 2 to 6) DUDE! By Aaron Reynolds. Illustrated by Dan Santat. So much action and humor, so few words - just one, in fact (see the title), written in capitals or lowercase, in speech bubbles, or streeeeetched out. Expressed in the cheerfully bonkers illustrations by Santat, a Caldecott medalist, "Dude!" tells the story of a platypus and a beaver who go surfing together and meet a shark. A friendly one, it turns out, who wants to catch some waves with them: "Dude...?" he offers when they meet. More than half the fun, of course, is in reading this book out loud. Be ready for even the youngest kids to "read" it, too. 40 pp. Neal Porter/Roaring Brook. $17.99. (Ages 4 to 8) PIE IS FOR SHARING By Stephanie Parsley Ledyard. Illustrated by Jason Chin. A book about sharing doesn't sound like much fun, but this one takes all the sting out. Ledyard's spare text is a poetic ode to things that are easy to share (a ball, a climbing tree, a story, a hideout), with an acknowledgment of one that's hard (a best friend). Chin's sublime watercolor and gouache illustrations, a master class in visual storytelling, follow a group of family and friends on a daylong picnic near the beach. Once the sun starts setting it's clear this is the Fourth of July, adding even greater resonance - a nation is, after all, above all a shared idea. 40 pp. Neal Porter/Roaring Brook. $17.99. (Ages 2 to 6) 40 pp. Candlewick. $16.99. (Ages 3 to 7) GOLDFISH ON VACATION By Sally Lloyd-Jones. Illustrated by Leo Espinosa. Enjoying summer in the city requires ingenuity, as this entertaining tale - based on reallife events - shows. Three siblings glumly pass time in their hot Manhattan apartment until the broken fountain down the street gets cleaned up and a sign suddenly appears on it, inviting goldfish to take a vacation. A neighborhood hangout is born, as all the residents stop by to visit their fish. Espinosa's sunny illustrations are a visual party. The only downer, we learn in a note, is that once the fountain was fixed for good, the goldfish summer vacations ended. 40 pp. Schwartz & Wade/Random House. $16.99. (Ages 4 to 8) SUN Written and illustrated by Sam Usher "Rain" and "Snow" came first in this series of stories about a boy who's stuck at home with his grandpa in all kinds of weather. Now it's a scorching summer day, and as in the previous books, the delicately handled subtext is that it takes patience and imagination to navigate the generational divide and get through the long hours. The pair "gather their provisions" and go for a walk, which the boy pictures as crossing the desert. Then they stop at a pirate's cove, picnicking with a merry band of buccaneers. Usher's jaunty visual style is a mash-up of two British greats, Quentin Blake and John Burningham. SAFFRON ICE CREAM Written and illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh When a little girl named Rashin is on her way to the beach in Brooklyn for the first time, she remembers what it was like to go to the beach when her family lived in Iran, where the men's and women's sections were strictly separated (severe-looking burka-clad ladies patrol) and saffron ice cream was her favorite treat. With her colorful, exuberant folk-art illustrations and upbeat, friendly tone, Rashin makes a daunting cross-cultural leap seem as easy as a summer breeze. 40 pp. Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic. $17.99. (Ages 4 to 8) THE GRAND EXPEDITION Written and illustrated by Emma Adbage There are those (like me) who feel that "camping out" in the backyard is a high point of childhood adventure, and this adorable book from Sweden confirms it. Two small siblings inform their dad of their plans, and after gathering their supplies they pitch a tent and hunker down. No, they don't make it through the whole night out there, but does that even matter? With winsome mixedmedia illustrations that capture all the most telling details, and a fine-tuned ear for the way kids think and talk, Adbage understands the fun that can be found in a child's everyday reality. 40 pp. Enchanted Lion. $16.95. (Ages 4 to 8) maria russo is the children's books editor of the Book Review.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [April 7, 2019]
Review by Booklist Review
Late of Smith's classic graphic novels, Smiley Bone leaves his cigar behind and makes the leap to picture books. Big, bright, vibrant pages see Smiley through a pleasant walk in the forest, where the musical chirp of a bird encourages some impromptu counting. As the count gets higher and the birds' garb becomes increasingly fanciful, Smiley lifts off the ground and joins them for a swooping, soaring excursion. A threatening bird of prey shows up, only to have Smiley go stern and, in a development sure to induce hilarity in many young readers, scare the living poop out of him. Smiley's return to the ground for a peaceful nap ties things up tranquilly. This is an unusually friendly and gentle story, wrapped in a lovely yet dynamic package. Smith's warmly embracing style proves a natural for picture books, and his sensibility is perfectly pitched to a younger readership. Smiley, whose nurturing, happy-go-lucky nature is fused into his comically rounded body and movements, should prove a wonderful new friend for the age group.--Karp, Jesse Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Smiley, one of the three cousins from Smith's comic saga Bone rescues a colorful flock of birds in this vividly drawn tale. Enjoying a stroll through the woods, Smiley hears songbirds singing and begins to count them. One purple bird sports a handsome top hat, the second is orange, the next three are yellow. He stops counting after a dozen and finds himself rising up in the air, able to soar joyously with the whole flock. When a hawk threatens, talons out, Smiley pulls up in front of it, sending it scuttling and winning the affection of the songbird crew. As so often happens, it's all a dream. "Sometimes dreams are scary," Smiley says, "but the good ones make it worth it!" It's a simple story, but it has memorable elements: Smiley's ability to fly, to become close to wild animals, to be the hero. Smith's line is masterfully controlled, and each of Smiley's emotions-interest, dismay, elation-will be clear even to the youngest viewers. The generous trim size further shows off the spreads, which have the appeal of classic Sunday funnies. Ages 3-5. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-This crisply illustrated picture book stars a character from Smith's award-winning series of graphic novels. Strolling through the woods on a beautiful day, Smiley, a blobby white cartoon character, decides to count the birds he hears singing (each bird tweets a musical note colored to match its feathers). By the time he gets to numbers seven and eight, Smiley is flapping his arms and flying along with the flock. After reaching 12, he gives up on enumerating and focuses on soaring through the blue sky surrounded by feathered friends. The mood changes when a raptor arrives and harries the frightened birds with sharp-looking talons and beak. Smiley confronts the predator, scaring the poop out of it (literally). Surrounded by the thankful birds, he counts down from 10, before gently descending to the ground and settling under a tree, sound asleep. Awakening, he realizes that it was all a dream, acknowledging, "Sometimes dreams are scary, but the good ones make it worth it." Full-page illustrations, some wordless and some sprinkled with dialogue balloons, convey the plot in a simple graphic novel-style format, and the bright cartoon artwork has an engaging fluidity and energy. VERDICT Youngsters already acquainted with Smiley and the "Bone" universe will get the most of this adventure, but the book's positive message and exuberant presentation has broad appeal.-Joy Fleishhacker, Pikes Peak Library District, Colorado Springs © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Color by Tom Gaadt. Smiley Bone (of Smith's graphic novels) stars in a large-paneled picture book that serves as both a counting book and an introduction to comics conventions. A dreaming Smiley climbs a tree toward, and then takes flight with, an increasing number of birds that then depart one by one after Smiley scares off a hawk. Cheery pastels create a pleasant, spring-like mood, despite the brief scariness. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Smiley Bone flies with the birds in this picture-book outing for the character from Smith's Bone graphic novels.Smiley is taking a walk in the woods on a beautiful day. He listens to the birds singing, which makes him wonder how many there are. He counts the many-colored birds, each chirping musical notes the color of their plumage. By the time he reaches seven, Smiley is flying alongside the birds he's counting. He stops counting after he hits 12 and just enjoys his flight with the flock (some of whom have hats or scarves on). Then a bird of prey attacks, terrifying the songbirds. Smiley gets up in the attacker's beakand literally scares the poo out of it. His bird friends thank him, and he counts back down to one only to find himself snoozing under a tree. He realizes it's all been a dreambut a good one, the kind that makes even the scary ones "worth it." Smith applies graphic-novel conventions to this picture book; nearly every page is framed like a comic panel, and the limited dialogue is all presented in dialogue balloons. Little readers unfamiliar with the Bone comics won't know that this fantasy character isn't supposed to fly, and there really isn't much of a story, but the gentle message may be good as bibliotherapy for children who have nightmares, and the bright colors are inviting. Best for children of Bone fans. (Picture book. 2-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
