Review - Little Brown

Little Brown
by Marla Frazee
Date: 2018
Publisher: Beach Lane Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

A grumpy and lonely little dog at the animal shelter decides to take matters into his own paws in this though-provoking and sublime picture book from the award-winning author and illustrator of The Boss Baby!

Little Brown is one cranky canine because no one ever plays with him at the animal shelter. Or maybe no one ever plays with him because he is cranky. Either way, Little Brown decides today is the day to take action, so he takes all of the toys and sticks and blankets from all of the dogs at the shelter and won’t give them back. But what will happen now?

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Little Brown is kind of a jerk. He steals all the other dogs' toys, presumably because he wants to be included. The synopsis asks, "What will happen now?" The answer, unfortunately, is, "Not much."

I don't like open-ended books at the best of times. Even for adults. I like some resolution to the stories I read. If I've put in the time to read the whole story, I want to know how it's going to end. The whole "let's let the reader decide what happens" is a cop-out, as far as I'm concerned. I honestly thought that my e-book copy was glitched and that I was missing a page. But by looking at other reviews on Goodreads, I see that that's not the case. This is simply a story that abruptly ends before the actual ending.

The illustrations are cute. I mean, it's a motley crew of dogs of all shapes and sizes doing what dogs do (play, nap, run in circles, etc.). But even the best illustrations wouldn't make me love this.

I enjoyed The Boss Baby, so I guess I was hoping to have a similar reading experience here. This book might work for some readers... but not ones who like their stories to have a resolution.

Premise: 2/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 2/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.33 out of 5

Review - It Takes a Village

It Takes a Village
by Hillary Rodham Clinton
illustrated by Marla Frazee
Date: 2017
Publisher: Simon Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

“What does it take to change the world?”

Former Secretary of State and Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Rodham Clinton’s first book for young readers, inspired by the themes of her classic New York Times bestselling book It Takes a Village, and illustrated by two-time Caldecott Honor recipient Marla Frazee, asks readers what can they do to make the world a better place?

It Takes a Village tells the heartwarming and universal story of a diverse community coming together to make a difference. All kinds of people working together, playing together, and living together in harmony makes a better village and many villages coming together can make a better world. Together we can build a better life for one another. Together we can change our world.

The book will resonate with children and families and through the generations as it encourages readers to look for a way they can make a difference. It is a book that you will surely want to read again and again, a book you will want to share and a book that will inspire.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

It's funny how I seem to find library e-books in clusters. One day, I read a couple of books about elephants. Another day, I read a couple of books whose titles started with How to.... Today, I came across picture books by both Hillary Clinton and her daughter, Chelsea. I read Chelsea's first, which may have been a mistake... because it make her mom's look weak in comparison.

This seems to be the sort of picture book that's aimed at adults more than kids. Yes, kids are smart. Yes, community and cooperation are important. But, you know what? Most kids already know these things, so a book like this is kind of pointless; the intended audience won't get a lot out of it, and the people who really need such a book will write it off as beneath them. I couldn't help feeling a little confused, too, as I was reading it. Although I understood the overall message, there were certain lines that felt out of place, and more political than they needed to be:

Children are
born believers.
And citizens, too.

(I have nothing against those words, but I question their value in a picture book. What does that comment about citizenship even mean in the context of building a playground?)

I'd encountered the illustrator's work before in The Boss Baby, but here, the pictures didn't really work for me. They're cute, but the background skies that have been drawn in kind of gave the pictures an ominous feel (at least for me), and sort of made the whole thing look dull. So I wasn't really a fan.

This isn't a bad book, but it's not a great one, either. Sorry, Hillary, but Chelsea's got you beat in the picture-book department.

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

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.83 out of 5

Review - The Boss Baby

The Boss Baby
by Marla Frazee
Date: 2010
Publisher: Beach Lane Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

From the moment the baby arrived, it was obvious that he was the boss...

The boss baby is used to getting his way—drinks made to order 24/7, his private jet plane, and meetings around the clock. But when his demands aren’t getting proper responses, he has to go to new lengths to achieve the attention he deserves.

Two-time Caldecott Honor medalist Marla Frazee combines her signature wit and style with endearing illustrations in this clever take on one family’s very unusual new arrival.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I didn't realize that this had been a book first! I'd heard of the movie, of course.

This is actually pretty cute. The story is fairly basic, and probably aimed more at adults (sleep-deprived parents in particular), but little kids will probably find the boss baby in his power onesie (complete with tie!) pretty amusing. When you look at things the way the book does, you can really see how a new baby might seem like the boss of the household... and this story highlights that in a very cute way.

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

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.67 out of 5