Review by New York Times Review
A talking tiger, a crocodile doctor, a sad pair of socks and more in these stories to fire up a kid's imagination. LITTLE DOCTOR AND THE FEARLESS BEAST Written and illustrated by Sophie Gilmore. Little Doctor is a specialist in crocodiles, as we can see from the enormous green patients who flock to her examination room (which, shhhh, may just be a backyard office). She ministers to them with deep concentration, applying long bandages and tender, expert care - and cures them all except a toughie called Big Mean, who refuses to unclasp her jaws. There's a scary trip inside the beast's mouth, and a happy ending involving the adorable hatchlings Big Mean was of course carrying in there. With its softly detailed, virtuoso art and a perfectly wrought story full of heart and respect for the imaginative rules of children's play, this debut shines. 32 pp. Owlkids. $17.95. (Ages 4 to 8.) THINKER: MY PUPPY POET AND ME By Eloise Greenfield. Illustrated by Ehsan Abdollahi. In this charming book of linked poems - the story of a pup who speaks, but only in verse - the distinguished children's poet Green-field glides gracefully between rhyme, free verse, haiku and rap. A boy named Jace becomes the dog's owner. He names him Thinker ("I'm deep and I'm a poet," the dog warns. "A cute name's not O.K.") and the two have back-and-forth chats about life. On every page, Abdollahi's collaged illustrations bring the characters to life with a soulful flair. 32 pp. Jabberwocky/Sourcebooks. $15.99. (Ages 4 to 8.) MY PAPI HAS A MOTORCYCLE By Isabel Quintero. Illustrated by Zeke Peña. Southern California is home to almost 24 million, yet few picture books show us life there, or tell stories about its vibrant immigrant communities. This delightful book bursts into the gap: A girl named Daisy takes a spin on the back of her carpenter papi's motorcycle, greeting friends and relatives, noting historical murals and stopping at his work site. "Even in all that noise, my papi's voice touches everything," she says. There's no earthshaking story, just the sweet rumble of family love, neighborhood pride, the dignity of work and the joy of a fast ride. Yet Quintero's warm, economical text and the desert-sunset tones of Pena's comics-inflected art feel like a revelation. 32 pp. Kokila/Penguin Random House. $17.99. (Ages 4 to 8.) VAMOS! LET'S GO TO THE MARKET By Raul the Third. Like "My Papi Has a Motorcycle," this book opens a welcome and welcoming door into Latino culture. Raul the Third also offers zany humor and low-key language lessons (assorted Spanish words are translated in the margins). Little Lobo, a nattily dressed wolf, makes deliveries to a marketplace of artisans, entertainers and vendors. "Everywhere people are going to work. Everyone has a different job," from puppeteer to pinata maker. With an array of interesting creatures and vignettes crammed into the illustrations, the effect is a high-spirited hybrid of Richard Scarry and Mexican comics. 48 pp. Versify/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. $14.99. (Ages 4 to 8.) SOCK STORY By CK Smouha. Illustrated by Eleonora Marton. Two socks, a pair, tumble around in the washing machine, doing tricks like "double axel triple flip" and annoying the larger items. It's all fun and games until the spin cycle, when they're separated - and one takes refuge in the pocket of a non-color-fast red shirt. Eek! Can an unmatching duo still be partners? Those raising a style-conscious child will know the answer these days is a resounding yes. Still, Smouha and Marton wring genuine suspense and edgy humor out of this clever, colorful tale. 32 pp. Cicada. $14.95. (Ages 4 to 8.) THE HIDEOUT By Susanna Mattiangeli. Illustrated by Felicita Sala. Nothing beats a secret place, and even better if, as in this enthralling story, it's hidden in a public space. Someone's calling Hannah, but she's decided to go live inside a bush in the park, wearing a feather cape, making a fire and befriending an Odd Furry Creature. Or did she just draw the whole thing? The homage here to "Where the Wild Things Are" may be subtle, but it brings a smile. 32 pp. Abrams. $16.99. (Ages 4 to 8.) POWER UP By Seth Fishman. Illustrated by Isabel Greenberg. Your pinkie, this innovative book explains, "has enough energy to light up one of the biggest cities in the world" for a day Fishman and Greenberg ("A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars") turn something kids instinctively understand - the energy in our bodies - into a lesson in biology and physics, and the real importance of food and sleep. 40 pp. Greenwillow/HarperCollins. $17.99. (Ages 4 to 8.) CAMP TIGER By Susan Choi. Illustrated by John Rocco. Summer's almost over, and the narrator of this sweetly mysterious first children's book by the literary novelist Choi is dreading the start of first grade. A family camping trip brings him face to face with a tiger - one that talks. With the tiger's help, the boy catches a fish and even, in a stunning wordless sequence, ventures into the woods at night to leap across rocks and howl at the moon. Rocco's ("Blackout") art gives an emotionally astute story even more depth. 40 pp. Putnam. $17.99. (Ages 5 to 8.) MARIA RUSSO is the children's books editor for the Book Review.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [May 12, 2019]
Review by Horn Book Review
Phil and Dale are a pair of red-accented white socks. The rowdy duo loves laundry day, when they get to deploy their mad skills tumbling through the cycles of the washing machine (much to the staider garments annoyance). Double axel triple flip! Im flying! Then they become separated. Bereft, Dale takes up a bright red shirts offer to help find his friendbut hanging out with the shirt turns Dale pink. When Phil and Dale are finally reunited and realize they no longer match, they face an existential crisis. Its still me Phil! Were still a pairarent we? Gee Dale, I dont knowa pair should be exactly the same The two socks are downcast until the machine starts spinning and they resume their tumbling, and their shared delight makes them realize that of course they are a pair. They end up embracing the color difference (That shade of pink suits you. I know, right??)and the young human who dons the clean socks seems completely unfazed as well. Everything about this British import worksfrom the humorous, original story; to the relatable, endearing main characters; to the valuable and organically delivered message. The comics-style presentation?all dialogue and sound effectsmakes everything feel fresh and lively; and the ink, charcoal, and mixed-media illustrations, in a riot of bright colors on saturated pages, are as exuberant as our forever-matched pair. martha v. Parravano (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
Separation and sudden change pose an existential threat to a pair of socks.Red-and-white socks Phil and Dale glory in the washing machine's thrill ride, ignoring grumpy, repressive comments from the other laundry: "Woah Spin Cycle!" they shout. Then Phil suddenly disappears. Dale searches high and low ("There's a load of guys like you over there," offers a pair of friendly green underpants), lodging temporarily in the pocket of a red shirt and fretting over the prospect of a solitary life as a sock puppet or a golf cozy. But when, dumped into a dryer with the rest of the laundry, the two catch sight of each other at last, Phil holds back: "You'reyou're PINK!" Shouldn't a pair of socks look exactly the same? Happily, once the dryer starts its tumble, Phil's foolish doubts are dispelled in the shared fun. "Who am I kidding Daleof course you're my pair!And, anyway," as the mismatched buddies walk off on a pair of feet, "who cares if we're a little odd." A big round hole in the front cover invites readers to join the tumbling twosome in their exhilarating romp. In the simply drawn, brightly hued illustrations, Marton dabs simple faces onto the tumbling, rumpled laundry, presenting the all-dialogue narrative and the clunks and gurgles of the washing cycles in block letters and adding hands and a flash of elbow, both pink, as the only signs of human agency.A well-knit tale of textile togetherness. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
