Elanna Allen

A little girl named Plum longs for a pet dog, but her father says no. Plum, who doesn't like to take 'no' for an answer, decides that her dad will make an excellent pet substitute. Unfortunately, 'Pet Dad' is a little bit difficult to train - he won't roll over, or go on a newspaper - until Plum figures out that hugs can get her to the result she wants...

I see that many other online reviewers have found author/illustrator Elanna Allen's Pet Dad charming, and a lovable father-daughter story. show more For my part, I read through it with a growing sense of unease, as I recognized the way the narrative validated every one of Plum's disrespectful, self-centered actions. I winced at the casual acceptance of the fact that Plum "never takes no for an answer," cringed at each new degrading demand made upon her father, and felt nothing but dismay when I got to the two-page spread that demonstrated how "NO + HUG = YES!" Cute artwork or no, this isn't a healthy father-daughter relationship being depicted at all, and I'm at a loss to spy the 'charm' in it. Not recommended. show less

A young girl with a distaste for bedtime decides to run away, rather than submit to being tucked in. Her father, wise in his ways, encourages her to take more and more with her, from her favorite dinosaur, to scare away night-time monsters, to a snack for said dinosaur. Eventually, having taken everything and the house with her, the girl is tired out, and falls asleep...

Itsy Mitsy Runs Away is the third picture-book I have read from author/illustrator Elanna Allen, and of the three, it is show more the one that I enjoyed most. The tale here is structured in a cumulative way, like the classic "The House That Jack Built," and would make for an entertaining read-aloud, I believe. Itsy Mitsy felt a little bratty (a common characteristic of Allen's heroines, it seems), but I appreciated the way her father encouraged her in her make-believe (I presume?) games. The artwork is colorful and cute, with a cartoon style that makes a lot of sense, given its creator's background in animation. Recommended to anyone looking for fun bedtime fare. show less

Bwa ha ha ha! I laughed until I cried. There is nothing like a good, funny fish story.

The endpapers open with swirls of ocean green and a host of white and grouchy fish looming about a poor little yellow fish. Poor little guy, he's grabbed by an octopus, he's just so adorable! So adorable the octopus wants to eat him up...but this poor little guy has a nasty surprise waiting for his tormentor!

Short, sweet, and simple, be ready for waves of delighted laughter when the little fish gets the show more better of the octopus! The only draw back is the very swirly font is difficult to read, so you might want to practice it before reading aloud.

Verdict: Sometimes you just need a funny fish story. This is that story.

ISBN: 9780525428251; Published 2016 by Dial/Penguin; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less

A cute little fish is swimming along, minding his own business in this new picture-book from animator Elanna Allen, only to be caught by an octopus and made to 'play' a variety of games. When the octopus concludes that the little fish might be just as tasty and he is adorable, he tries to swallow him, only to receive an unwelcome surprise in the form of spines in his tongue, when the little fish expands.

Although the artwork in Poor Little Guy is really quite charming, with an appealing color show more palette, a cute little yellow hero, and copious use of swirling lines to indicate the motion of the sea, I found the story itself rather... lacking. The text is minimal, and didn't really involve me in the story. Perhaps young children will be more interested in the fate of the little blowfish, but I was mostly indifferent, both to his danger and to his eventual triumph. There's nothing really wrong here, but somehow it just didn't work for me. show less