School Library Journal Reviews
PreS-Gr 3— This collection includes adaptations of three well-known picture books, a lengthier live-action film based on John Burningham's Cannonball Simp (Candlewick, 1994), and an animated short of Jules Pfeiffer's Munro from the Weston Woods archives. The animated rendering of Rosemary Wells's Noisy Nora (Dial, 1979) hilariously depicts the pleas for attention of a neglected middle child. While baby Jack is put to bed and big sister Kate is read to, Nora impatiently bangs windows, slams doors, and fells chairs. The facial expressions on the little mice are priceless, and Mary Beth Hurt's spirited narration is both humorous and sympathetic. Children with older or younger siblings will relate to this delightful story. The next naughty protagonist is a Tyrannosaurus rex in an iconographic version of Peter McCarty's T Is for Terrible (Holt, 2004). The rough-voiced narrator assures viewers that he is much like other creatures: "I, too, had a mother…I cannot help that I grew so enormous…and so enormously hungry…If I could, I would be a vegetarian, but I am Tyrannosaurus rex, and I do not eat trees!" Use this comical story with dinosaur units or to introduce a lesson on animal classification. Human bullies make mischief for Peter and Archie in the iconographic rendering of Ezra Jack Keats's Goggles (S & S, 1971). The friends find a pair of motorcycle goggles, but a gang of bigger boys chase them for the prize. Peter's dachshund saves the day. Suspenseful jazz music and a deep-voiced narrator add excitement. Cannonball Simp also features a spirited chase when a little dog escapes from the pound. He ends up at a traveling circus, and inadvertently helps save a clown's job. Much of the action is wordless with lively music capturing the adventure. Children will be fascinated by this inside look at circus life. Finally, an added bonus is the Oscar-winning short, Munro , in which a contrary four-year-old is mistakenly drafted. This sophisticated satire on the American military is hardly elementary school fare. Nonetheless, the feature shorts will appeal to young mischief makers everywhere.—Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools
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