Review - It's a Moose!

It's a Moose!
by Meg Rosoff
illustrated by David Ercolini
Date: 2020
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

A baby that is different from all the others brings a family great joy until he grows too big for their home.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This ridiculous story perpetuates the notion that you get a baby from the hospital nursery much like one would get a loaf of bread from the bakery. An idiotic family gets a new baby and don't realize it's a moose. (How the baby moose ended up in the nursery is never explained.) They treat the thing like a human, and it grows up with the family. But soon it gets too big for its suburban life and it seems sad. So the family takes it out to the forest and abandons it there. They later receive a postcard from their moose friend (who can apparently read and write).

I sincerely hope that no children are traumatized by this. "If I feel sad, Mom and Dad might dump me in the woods!" The theme of abandonment is totally inappropriate for a children's book. While I can get behind the message of "wild animals belong in the wild", it doesn't work here as the poor moose is domesticated and anthropomorphized to a ridiculous degree. Will this pampered moose be able to survive his first winter in the woods? Who knows?

The illustrations are fine for what they are. The family looks suitably clueless (while everybody else stares, probably wondering what the heck is wrong with these idiots).

Skip this one, unless you want to spend a lot of time reassuring your kids that you won't abandon them in the woods if they feel sad.

Premise: 1/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 2/5

Enjoyment: 1/5

Overall: 1.83 out of 5

Review - On Account of the Gum

On Account of the Gum
by Adam Rex
Date: 2020
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 56
Format: e-book
Source: library

On Account of the Gum is a book about how the best intentions lead to some of the worst (and funniest) ideas!

Serious humor abounds in this story about one kid's hilarious misadventures with gum, and the cumulative buildup of stuff stuck in hair.

From the madcap mind of Adam Rex comes a book about the improbable, downright bizarre remedies for a problem kids have faced since the creation of gum.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

The poor kid!

This is one of the funniest picture books I've read in a while. When a kid gets gum in their hair, everyone has ideas on how to get it out. As the kid's hair becomes loaded with more and more "solutions", the reader can see their frustration growing until it explodes at last and brings about an unexpected resolution to the problem.

Sort of.

The illustrations are pretty much perfect. Don't let the pink on the cover turn you off, either; it's a reference to the gum and shouldn't be construed as making this a "girls' book".

Recommended to anyone who enjoys silly stories... or who's ever gotten gum stuck in their hair. You probably got off easy in comparison.

Quotable moment:

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

Enjoyment: 5/5

Overall: 4.57 out of 5

Review - Mad About Plaid

Mad About Plaid
by Jill McElmurry
Date: 2000
Publisher: HarperCollins
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

Madison Pratt is delighted to find a lonely plaid purse in the park one afternoon. Then the purse's mad curse causes Madison--and her whole neighborhood--to turn plaid! Will Madison's spunk and optimism help to reverse the curse before it's too late? Filled with vivid colors and rich textures that enhance the story's humor, Jill McElmurry's first picture book is just as bright and creative as her irresistible heroine.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This book does not work in the COVID era. I'm sorry, but I can't look favourably on any book that shows adults treating their children like dirty, disease-carrying lepers, covering them in plastic and sowing the seeds for OCD. The premise might have been funny once... but it definitely isn't now.

Aside from that, I couldn't stand the text. It switches between prose and quasi-poetry, with some parts rhyming and some not. It's highly distracting; just when I'd get into a poetic rhythm, the narration would switch back to straight prose again.

The story is silly. A little girl finds a plaid purse in the park. It's cursed (or something) because the plaid pattern spreads onto the little girl, and then eventually infects the whole town. When the girl turns the purse inside out to show its blue lining, the blue spreads in the same way as the plaid. So the girl has to sing a silly song to chase away the blues.

The illustrations are okay, but the text grated on my last nerve. The potential anxiety that the quarantining of a "sick" child might cause was the last straw. It might have worked in 2000 when it was first published, but it doesn't work now.

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

Enjoyment: 1/5

Overall: 2.14 out of 5

Review - The Couch Potato

The Couch Potato (The Food Group #4)
by Jory John
illustrated by Pete Oswald
Date: 2020
Publisher: HarperCollins
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

Meet your new pal-tato in the fourth picture book from the #1 New York Times bestselling creators of The Bad Seed, The Good Egg, and The Cool Bean, Jory John and Pete Oswald.

The Couch Potato has everything he needs within reach of his sunken couch cushion. But when the electricity goes out, Couch Potato is forced to peel himself away from the comforts of his living room and venture outside. And when he does, he realizes fresh air and sunshine could be just the things he needs...

Readers of all ages will laugh along as their new best spuddy learns that balancing screen time and playtime is the root to true happiness.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This, the fourth installment in Jory John and Pete Oswald's series about sentient foodstuffs, was obviously conceived before 2020 and children became bombarded with the message to stay inside, glued to a screen, lest they kill granny. The Couch Potato is a call to go outside, breathe the air, and explore the world around us... in person.

The illustrations are just as cute as in the other books. But I think I like the message of this one a little more than some of the others. Humans (and potatoes) were never meant to spend all day inside staring at screens. That message is now more important than ever.

Fans of the series will probably love this one. Check it out to add to your tasty collection!

Quotable moment:

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

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4.17 out of 5

Review - The Polar Express

The Polar Express
by Chris Van Allsburg
Date: 1985
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

Late on Christmas Eve, after the town has gone to sleep, a boy boards a mysterious train that waits for him: the Polar Express bound for the North Pole. When he arrives there, Santa offers him any gift he desires. The boy modestly asks for one bell from the reindeer's harness. It turns out to be a very special gift, for only believers in Santa can hear it ring.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I'm pretty sure I read this years ago, as parts of it seemed fairly familiar. I'm not sure if I would've appreciated Chris Van Allsburg's illustrations and gentle story as much back then, though.

This is a Christmas classic, and for good reason. It's the perfect read-aloud story for Christmas Eve (and, given the amount of text, it will probably work best as a book that an adult reads to a child). The plot is memorable, seeking to recapture the magic of Santa Claus for those children just on the cusp of disbelieving.

The illustrations are simple but lovely, in Van Allsburg's signature style (albeit quite colourful compared to some of the other titles by him that I've read). The way the illustrations capture the light is particularly striking. The expressions on the children's faces are evocative and really bring the characters to life.

The Polar Express should probably be in every reader's Christmas library. If you're only familiar with the movie, be sure to check out the book it was based on.

Quotable moment:

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

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4 out of 5

Review - Cozy

Cozy
by Jan Brett
Date: 2020
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

A group of clever animals find an unusual but warm and furry home during Alaska's long winter in Jan Brett's newest snowy adventure.

Cozy is the softest musk ox in Alaska, with the warmest fur you ever did feel. When a storm hits while he's separated from his family, he starts to feel lonely--but not for long. As the snow piles up, animals start to notice just how warm and cozy Cozy really is! One mama lemming has a bright idea . . . maybe the best place to spend the winter is under Cozy's fur!

As more and more animals burrow in, Cozy adds to the house rules: quiet voices, gentle thumping, claws to yourself, no biting, and no pouncing. That seems easy enough . . . until the lemmings, snowshoe hare, snowy owl, arctic fox, and wolverine begin to bicker. Luckily, signs of spring soon appear, and that means Cozy can find his herd and his new friends can head to their summer homes. But not before promising to get cozy with Cozy next year!

Jan Brett brings a new lovable character to life through this gorgeous tale of sharing, friendship, and living in harmony.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

There's nothing really wrong with Cozy... as long as you haven't read The Mitten. Sadly, Cozy is just a retelling of The Mitten... but with musk oxen. The formats are exactly the same. Each is a sort of cumulative story. Here, instead of animal after animal taking shelter in a dropped mitten, they take shelter in a musk ox's coat. Each page features one main spread with text and a large illustration, along with side panels that show which animal will be the next to join.

The illustrations are nice, and the writing is strong. If you really love The Mitten and want more books like it, you'll probably really enjoy Cozy. But if once was enough for this format, you might be a little underwhelmed like I was.

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

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.16 out of 5

Review - The Alphabet's Alphabet

The Alphabet's Alphabet
by Chris Harris
illustrated by Dan Santat
Date: 2020
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 48
Format: e-book
Source: library

For fans of P is for Pterodactyl comes this groundbreaking spin on the ABC's from an acclaimed, bestselling author and artist pairing!

Here's a totally twisted take on the alphabet that invites readers to look at it in a whole new way: An A is an H that just won't stand up right, a B is a D with its belt on too tight, and a Z is an L in a tug-of-war fight! Twenty-six letters, unique from each other -- and yet, every letter looks just like one another! Kind of like...one big family.

From two bestselling masters of wordplay and visual hijinks comes a mind-bending riddle of delightful doppelgängers and surprising disguises that reveal we're more alike than we may think. You'll never look at the alphabet the same way again!

(synopsis from Goodreads)

The Alphabet's Alphabet has a unique premise: the letters of the alphabet are kind of like one big family... and all of them resemble someone else in the family tree! Well, except for S (but I'm still impressed that the author was able to come up with 25 doppelgängers).

This is an alphabet book for slightly older kids. The amusing illustrations show this family of letters and their similarities. There's even a code to break at the end (that I spent way too much time on, but what can I say? I'm a puzzle geek). The text rhymes, and it's quite well done.

I don't know if I'd recommend this to kids who are still just learning their letters, but I would recommend it to older readers who can appreciate the similarities of the letters.

Quotable moment:

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

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4.14 out of 5