Refreshing, beautiful, moving, and meaningful.
A robin is a harbinger of hope.
Though snow and ice linger, winter is over; spring greenery beckons. A robin searches for someplace to build a nest. Observing that streets, roads, and playgrounds are quiet and empty, the bird finally spies a tree overlooking an apartment building. The robin chirps joyfully—and awakens the curiosity of the building’s tenants, still indoors. They flock to their windows, eager to witness this visitor, a reminder of the glorious natural world. A parent brings a youngster to see the robin up close; one resident photographs it; an elderly adult encourages a kid to view the bird through binoculars; another resident lifts a dog to look and listen; two kids chat excitedly via next-door windows. The robin painstakingly builds a nest, lays eggs, and then feeds the hatchlings—all while diverse neighbors connect with nature and one another. This sweet, understated story is wordless—a perfect way to tell it, as it requires youngsters to relate to the illustrations in a unique, profoundly personal way. They’ll bring their own sensibilities, understanding, ideas, and vocabulary to the artwork and, in doing so, connect with the book’s theme—our deep connection to nature and the world around us. The elegant, lush, textured artwork, appearing as if produced on a soft cloth backing, was created using a combination of watercolor and gouache and finished digitally. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Refreshing, beautiful, moving, and meaningful. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2023
ISBN: 9781459831438
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2023
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.
A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.
He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts. When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.
A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.
A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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