THE FLYING BEAVER BROTHERS by Maxwell Eaton III

Eaton III, Maxwell. The Flying Beaver Brothers and the Fishy Business. NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 2012. ISBN: 978-0-375-96448-3. $6.99 US/$7.99 CAN.


Eaton III, Maxwell. The Flying Beaver Brothers and the Evil Penguin Plan. NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 2012. ISBN: 978-1-375-86447-6. $6.99 US/$7.99 CAN.


“Nothing weird EVER happens on Beaver Island! But one day…”

Bub & Ace, the flying beaver brothers, spend their days relaxing on Beaver Island, but adventure just seems to find them! In “Fishy Business,” the pair crash land into a tree-eating machine, only to realize that the machine in destroying the forests of their island to make “Fish Stix,” a new “eco-friendly” toy that looks surprisingly like a wooden stick! In “The Evil Penguin Plan,” the penguins of the South Pole have relocated to Beaver Island and plan to use a giant underwater refrigerator to freeze the whole island, turning it into a penguin paradise—“Like home never melted.”

The plots are simple but clever, and Eaton has a cheesy, somewhat dry sense of humor that frequently (and pleasantly) caused me to put my head in my hand and groan. The stories are definitely written with an adventurous child in mind: the beavers get to their house via a zip line and a trampoline. How cool is that? I want a system like that to get into my apartment; I can only imagine the reaction of a nine-year-old boy!

The otherwise black & white graphic art uses only one accent color, which coordinates with some plot element for each book. For example, Fish Stixs markets themselves as producers of “green toys,” and all of the pages are colored with green. In “Fishy Business,” the color of choice is blue, evoking a polar chill as the penguins attempt to freeze out the beavers.

Marisa Behan

HUG TIME by Patrick McDonnell

McDonnell, Patrick. Hug Time. Illus. Patrick McDonnell. NY: Little, Brown & Co., 2012. ISBN: 978-0-31618-295-9. $6.99. Board Book. Ages 0-2.


Patrick McDonnell’s Hug Time is now available as a board book. This oh-so-delightful rhyming picture book follows a little kitten named Jules (as seen in McDonnell’s MUTTS comic strip) on a trek around the globe. What is driving this furry feline’s adventure? Why, only his desire to give the whole world a hug, of course!

McDonnell’s writing is simple and sweet. His soft rhymes have a natural flow to them, which make the book perfect for reading out loud. And the story’s soothing message of peace and love is ideal for a cozy bedtime setting. McDonnell introduces his readers to the most endearing and empathetic little kitten. And Jules’ genuine care for this world is almost as inspiring as it is heartwarming.

Of course, McDonnell’s illustrations are what really make this story a smash. With so few words, each page of colorful drawings carries the reader along Jules’ journey. McDonnell’s strokes may seem simple, but they create an abundance of life and personality. Every animal that Jules encounters seems to be more animated than the last, due to their detailed and differing facial expressions. The animals have very distinctive demeanors, and yet they are all adorable. With just a few lines, McDonnell can create an exceedingly life-like expression of calm, delight, surprise, or indifference (as with the giraffe, who seems entirely unfazed by the little kitten clutching his nose in a hug). Each animal is beautifully depicted, and each page presents something lovely for young eyes to devour.

While Hug Time is still available in hardcover, this new sturdy board book format makes it the perfect gift to give to any newborn you may know.

Caitlin Kennedy

Review: GIGI IN THE BIG CITY by Charise Mericle Harper

Harper, Charise Mericle. Gigi in the Big City. New York: Robin Corey Books, 2010. ISBN 978-0-375-84235-1. $12.99 US.

This is a darling but superficial interactive book with lots of little details about the “big city,” presumably New York. Gigi leads the reader through the book into different places she explores. The first two pages – an inside-cover spread – find Gigi arriving in a taxi, which is a flap you can pull down to see the inside of the taxi and Gigi and the cabbie within. In this introductory spread alone there are 14 flaps to open to see the tenants in a skyscraper, the poses in a yoga studio, hats and dresses in stores, and students taking art classes, among other things.

Each page follows this conceit, offering flaps to lift to see the inside of stores and museums along with wheels to spin to see different varieties of gemstones, hairstyles, and expressions. You could spend an hour just changing Gigi's outfit in one segment. The many details crammed into just a few pages echoes the experience of a city – so many people, so much artwork, so many activities going on all at once in a relatively small space.

The interactive aspects of the book are delightful and intricate, and I can see young girls enjoying this book for its fun-and-flash factor, but the message of the book is shallow. While there are some educational details in the museum spreads and a few people of different ethnicities, Gigi in the Big City is largely materialistic. Gigi’s explorations take her out on a town seen by privileged kids with money to burn. She goes shopping; she looks at shoes; she reads frilly magazines; she gets her hair done. The book could have gone beyond fluff by including more details about the people, neighborhoods, and jobs that make up a big city.

Jill Coste

Review: PUPPIES, KITTENS, AND OTHER POP-UP PETS by Matthew Reinhart

Reinhart, Matthew. Puppies, Kittens, and Other Pop-Up Pets. NY: Random House, 2011. ISBN 0-375-87174-0. $6.99 PB.

Reinhart’s many awesome pop-up books top any list of engineered and imaginative marvels. I like Puppies, Kittens, and Other Pop-Up Pets because of its beautiful paper-cut precision art and because his presentation of possible pets captures their natures so well.

But I especially like it because it’s inexpensive. The $6.99 price means many people can enjoy this admittedly small-sized, but no less enjoyable for that, pop-up. I am especially fond of the rabbit. In fact, this is a good first pop-up book before you buy Reinhart’s more intricate, more amazing, and more expensive books.

Alida Allison

Review: COMPOST STEW: AN A-TO-Z RECIPE FOR THE EARTH by Mary Siddals

Siddals, Mary. Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth. Illus. Ashley Wolff. Berkeley, CA: Tricycle, 2010. ISBN 1-58246-316-2. $15.99.

Siddal and Wolff’s rhythmic encouragement to composting all kinds of stuff—well, an A-Z of stuff to stuff—is fun for eye and ear. It’s educational and encouraging, too. You collect natural vegetable matter mostly and mix in some dirt: “Dirt clods, crumbled. Eggshells, crushed. Fruit pulp left behind, all mushed.” All year long you add stuff, and all year long it percolates into nutritious condiments for your garden.

Accompanying the alphabet are glorious illustrations of kids in their garden, along with a goose and a Dalmatian. These are part collage, part painting and very engaging. The collages, additionally, are done from found material, demonstrating that recycling can be aesthetic as well as useful.

Alida Allison