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Rowe, John A.
4 Reviews
(4)
K-3
When Queen Grumpy gives birth to Prince Grumpy the Sixth, he actually comes out smiling (gasp!). After doctors rule out gas as the cause of the "disfigurement," King Grumpy assumes the "horrid look." Readers will relish being smarter than this all-dog royal family. They'll also enjoy the sight-gag-rich illustrations (though distractingly fuzzy resolution gives some a synthetic look).
Reviewer: Nell Beram
(3)
PS
Baby hedgehog Elvis wants a hug. Everyone tells him he's too prickly until he meets a kindly crocodile who's in need of a kiss. The theme is a familiar but amiable one; each animal gets what he's been missing--a friend. The other animals aren't being unjustifiably nasty: the illustrations feature a main character who really is very pointy.
(4)
K-3
When Captain Scallywag (a boy playing pirates) loses his teddy bear, he must stand up to an ogre in order to retrieve the bear; in doing so, he frees all the lost teddy bears of the world. The blurring of dream and reality is overly cutesy and the narrative is sodden with sentimentality, but richly textured illustrations vividly depict the characters.
Reviewer: Claire E. Gross
(4)
K-3
Turning a deaf ear on parental advice, Little Monkey climbs a tall tree, only to be blown far away by a cyclone. The good thing is Little Monkey lands on a stork's soft delivery cloud. The bad thing is he's delivered to an excited elephant couple and mistaken for their new baby girl. The text's repetitive language will engage young listeners, but the droll, sophisticated pictures rendered in a dark palette may have limited appeal.
Reviewer: Carolyn Shute
4 reviews
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