Review - Bad Bye, Good Bye

Bad Bye, Good Bye
by Deborah Underwood
illustrated by Jonathan Bean
Date: 2014
Publisher: Clarion Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

“Bad truck, bad guy; bad wave, bad bye . . .” A boy and his family are packing up their old home, and the morning feels scary and sad. But when he arrives at his new home, an evening of good byes awaits: bye to new friends, bye to glowing fireflies, bye to climbing trees. The New York Times bestselling author Deborah Underwood's spare text and the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winner Jonathan Bean's lush, layered illustrations perfectly capture the complex emotions of moving day. The child-centric transition from dreary morning to cheerful evening comforts young readers facing big changes of their own.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I think my ovaries may have shrivelled a little while reading this. That beginning is so stressful! While it's a faithful representation of child angst and tantrums, I could practically hear the shrieking.

So, aside from a couple of parents who apparently did absolutely nothing to prepare their child for a move (he blames the movers, calling them "bad"), this story just shows, rather predictably, that change is good. The message might be new to some kids, but I've seen this done many times already (and in ways that didn't make me want to run out and stock up on birth control). I also really dislike the ending, which might be confusing to some kids; while adults will get the whole "bad bye, good bye" thing, a child might be fairly concerned at the final "good bye", thinking that the poor family is going to have to move again.

For much a more relaxing book about moving, check out Nicola O'Byrne's adorable Where Is Home, Daddy Bear?

Premise: 2/5
Meter: 4/5
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 2/5

Enjoyment: 1/5

Overall: 2.29 out of 5

Review - Ducks!

Ducks!
by Deborah Underwood
illustrated by T. L. McBeth
Date: 2020
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

A duck who wanders away from the rest of the flock must find the way back.

Ducks. Ducks? NO DUCKS!

Duck wanders away from the pond for a moment and returns to find the other ducks gone! Searching high and low, Duck discovers many clues around the city--footprints, feathers, eggs--but no ducks. Will Duck's feathered friends finally be found?

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I enjoyed this one more than I thought I might when I first started.

I picked it up because I've enjoyed Deborah Underwood's books in the past. A writing credit for this seems a stretch, though, because the majority of the text consists of "Ducks?" and "No ducks." The illustrations are very simple, but they work.

This is almost a wordless picture book, but it manages to tell a story. A duck is distracted by a butterfly, and when it looks around to find its friends, they're all missing! It then proceeds to search for the missing ducks, only to be thwarted with lookalike clues that lead it momentarily astray. Will the duck ever find its friends?

Very young children will probably appreciate the duck's predicament and its attempt to find its feathered friends. I can see this being a bit tiresome as a read-aloud title (especially if done repeatedly), but it's so simple that even pre-readers can flip through the book themselves and get the gist.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3 out of 5

Review - Every Little Letter

Every Little Letter
by Deborah Underwood
illustrated by Joy Hwang Ruiz
Date: 2020
Publisher: Dial Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

For fans of The Word Collector and Be Kind comes a story of words, walls, and widening your world, by New York Times bestselling author Deborah Underwood

Small h has always lived with the other H's in a city surrounded by walls that keep them safe. At least, that's what the big H's say. But one day, a hole in the wall reveals someone new on the other side. When little h and little i meet, they make a small word with big meaning: "hi!" The other H's find out, though. They fill the hole. But it won't be enough to keep these little letters apart--or twenty-four of their newest friends. Every Little Letter shows how even the smallest among us can make a big impact, and how a single act of friendship can inspire whole communities to come together. How do you tear down walls? With words, at first. Then brick by brick.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is quite cute. A bunch of letters have walled themselves off and are leading comfortable, sequestered lives. But the little lowercase letters soon discover that there are other letters out there, and despite the uppercase letters' attempts to stop them, they begin to make friends with the others by sharing letters one at a time.

I love the message, and the pictures are adorable. My one misgiving is one aspect of the writing, and I'm not sure if it's even something that can be helped. Because we're talking about letters, their "names" are created with apostrophes. That might not be so bad, but things take a turn for the worse when possessives are thrown in there as well. I'm not comfortable with the punctuation. However, the book would work just fine if it were read aloud. I can see this as a great storytime selection, especially for very young children.

The theme of being open to new possibilities and friends is a great one, and this book left me with a bit of a warm and fuzzy feeling. I usually enjoy Deborah Underwood's books, so I'm not surprised I liked this one.

Quotable moment:

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 5/5

Enjoyment: 5/5

Overall: 4.33 out of 5

Review - Reading Beauty

Reading Beauty
by Deborah Underwood
illustrated by Meg Hunt
Date: 2019
Publisher: Chronicle Books LLC
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 44
Format: e-book
Source: library

When a fairy's curse—a deathlike sleep via paper cut—threatens to make her kingdom barren of books, it's up to space princess Lex to break the spell and bring books back to her people. Set in the universe of the acclaimed Interstellar Cinderella, this irrepressible fairy tale retelling will charm young readers with its brave heroine, its star-studded setting, and its hilarious, heartwarming happy ending.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

While Interstellar Cinderella brought a modern, feminist twist to "Cinderella", Reading Beauty does the same with the classic "Sleeping Beauty". Instead of a spindle being the catalyst for the curse, it's a paper cut. What else would it be for a voracious reader like Lex?

The rhyming text tells the story in a fun way, and there is a neat twist near the end that helps explain why the fairy cast the curse in the first place.

Like Interstellar Cinderella, Reading Beauty has nearly impeccable rhyme, which makes it easy to read aloud. Aside from one instance of a character shrugging their speech, the writing itself is pretty strong, too. I don't like the illustrations here quite as much as I did in Interstellar Cinderella; they're highly stylized in both books, but the fairy in this one looks just a bit too chaotic (I had to pause a few times and look at her more closely because her strange proportions and exaggerated features confused my eyes and brain a bit).

Overall, though, Reading Beauty is just as strong as its predecessor. I really hope Underwood and Hunt make more of these clever retellings. I'm sure there are more stories from that planetoid just waiting to be told.

Quotable moment:

Premise: 4/5
Meter: 5/5
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4 out of 5

Review - Part-time Princess

Part-time Princess
by Deborah Underwood
illustrated by Cambria Evans
Date: 2013
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: hardcover
Source: library

At night, a normal little girl imagines she is a princess, but not just a princess who wears pretty gowns and goes to balls. She also gets to fight dragons and tame trolls. But one morning she wakes up and begins to think maybe her royal adventures aren't so imaginary after all... From the best-selling author of The Quiet Book, this jacketed picture book is perfect for every little girl who dreams of being a princess.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I picked this one up because of the author, not really knowing what to expect from it. It's actually really cute! Yes, there are tiaras and fancy dresses and balls... but there's also firefighting and dragon counselling and general kingdom-saving.

Every night, the kid goes to bed... and dreams she's a princess. She lassos a dragon, only to find out he's just cranky because his little brother melted his crayons. She plays leapfrog in the royal mud puddle. She takes a bath with a dolphin in preparation for the royal ball. When some unexpected guests show up, she deals with them before they can cause any trouble. (At one point, she mentions she might grow up and marry the handsome prince, but not right now because she's too busy. Priorities!)

I like the subtle incorporation of the girl's mother (I almost didn't catch it at first) into her imaginative world. The whole book is kind of a clever twist on the whole princess theme, emphasizing imagination and action over entitlement and superficiality.

There are enough bright colours (and lots of pink!) to make this book appealing for kids, but adults will probably appreciate the humour and deeper message (at least, deeper than you often see in princess books). If you're looking for a book about princesses that's a little bit different, you might want to check this one out.

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4 out of 5

Review - Granny Gomez & Jigsaw

Granny Gomez & Jigsaw
by Deborah Underwood
illustrated by Scott Magoon
Date: 2010
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: Open Library

Granny Gomez's baby pig, Jigsaw, is the perfect roommate. He eats watermelon and watches cooking shows with her-he even does puzzles. But Jigsaw grows up-and out-quickly. Soon he's too big to get up Granny's back steps. It seems the only thing to do is build Jigsaw a barn. But once Jigsaw moves in, the two miss each other like crazy! Surely Granny and Jigsaw can find a solution, if they just put the pieces together. . . .

Playful language, subtle repetition, and Scott Magoon's signature watercolor art make this funny story of friendship a book that kids will want read aloud again and again.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Having read Kate DiCamillo's Mercy Watson series, I have a pretty high standard that pet pig books need to achieve. Granny Gomez & Jigsaw, while cute, doesn't really measure up to that other series.

The writing is strong enough, and the illustrations are fine. But the plot seems a bit weak, and there's little of the humour that's the hallmark of DiCamillo's series. Basically, Granny Gomez gets a baby pig. But pigs grow, and soon Jigsaw is so big that he breaks through the porch steps. So off they go to the hardware store to pick up the supplies to build a barn. When it's finished, it's almost as nice as the house! It has its own kitchen, shelves full of puzzles, and even a TV. But there's one thing it doesn't have, and it's the one thing that Jigsaw wants most of all.

I might recommend this to readers who haven't yet read the Mercy Watson books. But if they already have, then Granny Gomez & Jigsaw probably isn't going to measure up, and it'll probably be a bit of a disappointment.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.17 out of 5

Review - Pirate Mom

Pirate Mom
by Deborah Underwood
illustrated by Stephen Gilpin
Date: 2006
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 48
Format: e-book
Source: library

Yo ho ho! Pete loves pirates, but his mom thinks they are rude and messy. Then Pete and his mom go to see the Amazing Marco, and Marco hypnotizes Pete’s mom into thinking she’s a pirate! Now Pete’s mom won’t behave. She chases the neighbors. She steals underwear off other people’s clotheslines. She’s even flying the Jolly Roger over the house. Pete has to find the Amazing Marco. He wants his real mom back!

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This goofy little story is actually pretty funny. Pete is a kid who loves pirates, but his mom doesn't love them so much, so she never wants to play pirates with him. Instead, she takes him to see a magician, the Amazing Marco. During audience participation, the Amazing Marco hypnotizes Pete's mom into thinking she's a pirate. But then he gets called away for the impending birth of his child, leaving Pete to have to drag his pirate mom home. The hypnotism is supposed to wear off, but it doesn't, and Pete has to deal with a bellicose pirate who's always trying to steal people's loot. What's a boy to do?

I'm not surprised I enjoyed this one as much as I did, since I've liked some of Deborah Underwood's other books. The illustrations work well with the text, too, providing the perfect illustration of the silly pirate mom and her shenanigans.

The book ends with a bit of a twist that's somewhat predictable, but that kids will probably like. Overall, it's a strong book for early readers that'll have pirate lovers cracking a smile or two.

Quotable moment:

Pirate Mom stood in the yard.
She wore an eye patch
and a pirate head scarf.
Pete's parrot sat on her shoulder.
Pirate Mom swished
a wooden spoon at the mailman.
"Arrr!" said Pirate Mom.
"Arrr!" said the parrot.
"Arrrrrrgh!" said Pete.

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4 out of 5

Review - The Quiet Book

The Quiet Book (The Quiet Book)
by Deborah Underwood
illustrated by Renata Liwska
Date: 2010
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: hardcover
Source: library

All quiet is not created equal. In this irresistibly charming picture book, many different quiet moments are captured, from the anticipation-heavy “Top of the roller coaster quiet” to the shocked-into-silence “First look at your new hairstyle quiet.” The impossibly sweet bears, rabbits, fish, birds, and iguanas are all rendered in soft pencils and colored digitally, and, as in all of the best picture books, the illustrations propel the story far beyond the words. A sure-to-be-a-classic bedtime favorite.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

It's strange. I usually end up liking the first book in a series the most. I've already read The Christmas Quiet Book and The Loud Book!, so I was really looking forward to reading the book that started the series. But I was disappointed. If I'd read The Quiet Book first, I doubt I would've bothered reading the others.

What's the problem? I don't even know. It's just kind of boring. It lacks the magic of The Christmas Quiet Book and the humour of The Loud Book! Even the illustrations don't wow me here like they did in the other two.

It would probably be a good bedtime book because it's boring enough to put kids to sleep. But that's not much fun, either. I'd recommend the other books in the series over this one.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.33 out of 5

Review - Good Night, Baddies

Good Night, Baddies
by Deborah Underwood
illustrated by Juli Kangas
Date: 2016
Publisher: Beach Lane Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: hardcover
Source: library

Get to know the softer side of your favorite fairy tale baddies as they return home from a full day of scheming to enjoy a yummy dinner together and help one another get ready for bed.

Wolves, today was not so good.
You didn’t catch Red Riding Hood.
You huffed and puffed without success.
But brush your fangs, please, nonetheless.

Wicked witches. Evil queens. And big, bad wolves. By day they’re such baddies! But cozy at night at home among friends? Why, they couldn’t be nicer! Inspired by the mischief-makers from classic folk and fairy tales, this picture book shows that even the baddest baddies can have big hearts.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Here's a cute bedtime book with a fairy tale twist!

This rhyming picture book takes a look at bedtime for a bunch of storybook villains. After they retire to their crumbling castle after a day of evildoing, they go about getting ready for bed, just like everyone else. The evil queen sets aside her poisoned apple and puts on her nightie. The wolves brush their fangs. The witches check under the nervous giant's bed for... princesses!

The whole premise is pretty cute, and the writing and rhythm of the rhyming text is pretty strong. This would be a fun book to read aloud at bedtime.

Fun and colourful illustrations bring all the nighttime rituals to life.

I'm not sure what else to say about this one. I've read a number of bedtime books now... and this is one of the stronger ones.

Premise: 4/5
Meter: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 5/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4.14 out of 5

Review - The Loud Book!

The Loud Book! (The Quiet Book)
by Deborah Underwood
illustrated by Renata Liwska
Date: 2011
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: hardcover
Source: library

BANG!
CRACKLE!
BOO!

Just like there are lots of quiets, there are also lots of louds:

Good louds

(HOORAY!)

and bad louds

(CRASH!)

And louds that make you feel like you are the center of attention

(BURP!).

The Loud Book compiles all these kid-friendly noises from morning to night, in a way that is sure to make readers CHEER!

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Here's another fun entry in The Quiet Book series. I've still yet to read the first one, but I'm really enjoying these others.

Like The Christmas Quiet Book, which I read last year, The Loud Book! features a cast of fuzzy critters engaging in everyday activities... some of which are LOUD. The illustrations by Renata Liwska are adorable, and the facial expressions on the characters' faces are absolutely priceless. (I particularly liked the page with the bears glaring back at the reader in the movie theatre; I actually felt like I'd made too much noise with my candy wrappers!)

I can't wait to get my hands on The Quiet Book so I can see how this all began. The premise of these books is simple, but they're really lovely to look at.

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 5/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4 out of 5

Review - The Christmas Quiet Book

The Christmas Quiet Book (The Quiet Book)
by Deborah Underwood
illustrated by Renata Liwska
Date: 2012
Publisher: Harcourt Brace and Company
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

The holidays are filled with joyful noise. But Christmas is sometimes wrapped in quiet: "Searching for presents quiet," "Getting caught quiet," and "Hoping for a snow day quiet." Irresistibly cute, soft colored pencil illustrations of bunnies, bears, and more paint a magical holiday picture indeed.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This would make a lovely before-bed read on Christmas Eve. The book has no story, but is instead filled with examples of different kinds of quiet one might find during the Christmas season: knocking with mittens quiet, cocoa quiet, star on top quiet, and breathing clouds quiet... just to name a few. Each type of quiet is accompanied by an absolutely adorable illustration. The style is different than anything I've seen before, and I quite like it. All the fuzzy creatures almost look like they've been knitted out of yarn and then felted.

There are a few funny touches in some of the pictures, but the overall vibe is very peaceful and relaxing. It might be just the thing to inject a few moments of quiet into an otherwise hectic and noisy holiday season.

Quotable moment:

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 5/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4 out of 5

Review - Interstellar Cinderella

Interstellar Cinderella
by Deborah Underwood
illustrated by Meg Hunt
Date: 2015
Publisher: Chronicle Books LLC
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

Once upon a planetoid,
amid her tools and sprockets,
a girl named Cinderella dreamed
of fixing fancy rockets.

With a little help from her fairy godrobot, Cinderella is going to the ball. But when the prince's ship has mechanical trouble, someone will have to zoom to the rescue! Readers will thank their lucky stars for this irrepressible fairy tale retelling, its independent heroine, and its stellar happy ending.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

The comparisons to Marissa Meyer's Cinder are going to be inevitable... although, I have to say, I think I enjoyed this picture book more than I did the novel! Cinderella lives with her stepmother and stepsisters (who look vaguely Asian, which further reminded me of Meyer's book) on a planetoid where she acts as a household mechanic. Her best friend is a robot mouse named Murgatroyd. Despite her stepfamily's best attempts, she ends up going to the Royal Space Parade, where she ends up talking shop with the prince. Because who doesn't like a woman who can fix your spaceship? Aside from the setting (and the fact that it's a socket wrench rather than a shoe that the prince is trying to match to its owner), this is a fairly classic version of the story. Well... maybe not the ending; I quite liked that, as it provided a much-needed (and logical) update.

The illustrations are fun and colourful, with a retro sort of feel. You do need to pay careful attention to them, however, or you'll miss things. (For example, I didn't understand why Cinderella cried, "My toolbox!" until I saw that one of the stepsisters had snatched it; the theft wasn't mentioned in the text.) The whole story is written in rhyming verse, which isn't clunky at all (no small feat) and would be easy to read out loud.

I quite enjoyed this picture book. It would be a great addition to a fairy-tale library, as it offers a bit of a modern take on an old favourite, encouraging girls to enter STEM fields and implying that it's okay not to pair off with the first boy who shows an interest. This is a great fairy-tale retelling to keep kids satisfied until they're old enough to read books like Cinder for themselves.

Quotable moment:

Premise: 4/5
Meter: 5/5
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4 out of 5