December 2, 2013
Originally published in Germany, Sissung's story covers familiar territory: a case of the hiccups that just won't quit. A brown bear named Elliott is suffering from them and to make matters worse, "his cousin Lutz, who was visiting him in the woods, did not get the hiccups and was making fun of him." The following pages see Elliott getting an array of advice from his fellow forest animals: a squirrel tells him, "Hold your breath and count ten nuts in your head!" and a rabbit later stands on Elliott's belly, jabbing him with a stick: "Hiccups are a kind of monster in your stomach. You just have to poke it." Nothing works, and Lutz is seen cackling away in every wintry scene. The translation is a bit wooden, but there's plenty to enjoy in Sissung's thickly painted woodland scenes and her doughy bear cousins, with their scraggly fur and spindly limbs. Although the story steadily builds to the obvious ending, with Elliott getting relief and Lutz getting what's coming to him, that final twist arrives abruptly and lacks a satisfying punch. Ages 3â6.
March 1, 2014
PreS-Gr 2-Most hiccup books are predictable. In this one, Elliott the bear goes through many of the familiar steps (drinking water, being scared, holding his breath) to cure his hiccups, but the humorous illustrations of his encounters with a variety of animals add interest to the story line. He drinks pond water through a straw like the frog, and he lets a rabbit poke him in the stomach with a twig so the monster in his mouth will run away. The ending won't surprise adults, but children will share in Elliott's sense of vindication when they discover who develops the hiccups next. There are no sound effects in this book, so it's not obvious which bear has the hiccups, but a polka-dotted scarf differentiates Elliott from his unsympathetic cousin Lutz. Sissung's freehand illustrations include blends of color and texture and white streaks for light. This story could be incorporated into a storytime about consequences or kindness.-Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake Public Library, AB, Canada
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