As a digital subscriber, you’ll receive unlimited access to Horn Book web exclusives and extensive archives, as well as access to our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database.
To access other site content, visit The Horn Book homepage.
To continue you need an active subscription to hbook.com.
Subscribe now to gain immediate access to everything hbook.com has to offer, as well as our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database, which contains tens of thousands of short, critical reviews of books published in the United States for young people.
Thank you for registering. To have the latest stories delivered to your inbox, select as many free newsletters as you like below.
No thanks. Return to article
120 pp.
| Candlewick
| September, 2019
|
TradeISBN 978-0-7636-3397-4$19.99
(2)
1-3
A young film buff unknowingly brings a mouse home from the cinema. The child names the mouse Douglas in honor of movie star Douglas Fairbanks; before long, Douglas is back outside, where she sees new sights, befriends another mouse, explores city streets, and zigzags through danger on her way home. Textured, oval-shaped grayscale illustrations add to the story's old-timey, cinematic feel. A thoughtful balance of image and well-paced text lets gentle humor emerge.
Reviewer: Elisa Gall
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2019
144 pp.
| Candlewick
| August, 2016
|
TradeISBN 978-0-7636-6808-2$19.99
(2)
K-3
Store-clerk-by-day Sam moonlights as a (stage fright–suffering) juggler. His daughter Eleanor lavishes attention on stray dog Lucy. By the end of the four-act story, Lucy has found her forever family, and Sam has found his place in the spotlight. Oval-shaped, duotone oil illustrations float amidst white space, the design offering equal weight to both text and image.
Reviewer: Elisa Gall
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2016
24 pp.
| Holt
| March, 2012
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8050-9300-1$16.99
(3)
PS
When Horsefly and Honeybee pick the same flower for a nap, a fight ensues. "It wasn't pretty," and they each lose a wing. Unable to fly, they are easy prey for Bullfrog, who saves them for dinner. In their fear, they grasp one another and flutter their wings—"and up they went!" Amusing oil-on-paper illustrations match the charming, undidactic text.
32 pp.
| Candlewick
| February, 2008
|
TradeISBN 978-0-7636-3072-0$15.99
(3)
K-3
Duck, a carousel animal who yearns to fly, helps a real duckling learn how to use his wings. She loses her companion when Duckling flies south for the winter. But he returns with the spring and, in a heartwarming conclusion, gives Duck a ride into the sky. Impressively understated yet expressive oil paintings enhance the poignancy of this unusual tale.
32 pp.
| Candlewick
| March, 2007
|
TradeISBN 978-0-7636-2952-6$15.99
(4)
K-3
When ridership on an amusement-park carousel dwindles, carousel animal Gator must go out and find another purpose in life. The narrative is poignant without being too sappy. The atmospheric oils feature neckless children with strangely shaped heads tipped in wonderment.
32 pp.
| Holt
| August, 2004
|
TradeISBN 0-8050-6779-5$16.95
(3)
K-3
Fairy tales get the Lemony Snicket treatment in a mildly amusing stage production narrated by a Snidely Whiplash look-alike who grows increasingly frustrated as the kid actors make impromptu sunny changes to his "three tales of terror and misfortune." Grainy oil paintings of friendly looking characters keep the tone light, while purples and reds and the impression of dim lighting create a theatrical atmosphere.