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Blabey, Aaron
6 Reviews
(4)
PS
Thelma the googly-eyed pony wants to be a beloved unicorn. A carrot horn, pink paint, and glitter do the trick, but stardom has its downsides. Rhymes with a whiff of dark humor deliver a (rather overt) message: being special comes from being yourself. Cartoonish acrylics capture the garish glamor of celebrity life juxtaposed with the simplicity of Thelma's old green pastures.
Reviewer: Mariko Turk
(4)
PS
The titular pug returns (Pig the Pug), still greedy and boorish as ever, accompanied by the perfect foil, dachshund Trevor. In Winner, Pig is a sore loser who constantly cheats at games; in Elf, he stalks Santa to get more presents. The tongue-in-cheek rhymes use mildly dark humor to elevate the absurd, lesson-forward stories. The illustrations show cartoonishly bug-eyed Pig in near-constant hysterics. Review covers these titles: Pig the Elf and Pig the Winner.
Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth
(4)
PS
The titular pug returns (Pig the Pug), still greedy and boorish as ever, accompanied by the perfect foil, dachshund Trevor. In Winner, Pig is a sore loser who constantly cheats at games; in Elf, he stalks Santa to get more presents. The tongue-in-cheek rhymes use mildly dark humor to elevate the absurd, lesson-forward stories. The illustrations show cartoonishly bug-eyed Pig in near-constant hysterics. Review covers these titles: Pig the Elf and Pig the Winner.
Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth
(4)
PS
Pig, a greedy pug dog, will not share with fellow pet Trevor, a dachshund. But Pig gets his comeuppance when he becomes confined to a full body cast. Despite its darkly humorous, unique spin on a familiar subject, the rhyme scheme is cloying and has too many bold and capitalized exclamations. The serviceable acrylic illustrations feature dogs with cartoonishly large eyes.
Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth
(4)
K-3
A girl whose father's job requires frequent moves describes their peripatetic life. While being the new kid can get old, Sunday asserts her independence: "But guess what? I don't care." However, she does care, sometimes, as Blabey makes clear in muted acrylic and mixed-media illustrations. Though Sunday's voice isn't convincingly childlike, her make-the-best-of-it message might be helpful for other kids in her position.
Reviewer: Nell Beram
(4)
K-3
Charlie is shy and thoughtful. Pearl is loud and daring. But the two different personalities balance each other out to form the perfect friendship. Clean backgrounds let the expressive portraits take center stage, giving some additional depth and charm to an otherwise trite story line. The illustrations' dark palette helps create a distinct look that, like Charlie and Pearl, is a blend of goofy and serious.
Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi
6 reviews
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