THE PELICAN CAN!

What can pelicans do?

As this lively picture book shows, this large-billed bird with an oversized pouch can do quite a lot, especially when there’s a hungry mouth to feed back at home. As our protagonist soars through the air, it pays careful attention to marine life swimming below, diving from the sky to “scoop a delicious fish soup.” Naturally, some of this catch ends up being shared with its mate and its chick upon its return to the nest. Repetitive, rhyming, call-and-response-style text makes this one a sure bet for the younger set. “Who can fly up in the sky?” “Who can spy small fish with their eye?” “Who can dive down so fast?” Each time, the answer is an enthusiastic “The pelican can! The pelican can!” Though some might have wished for backmatter with more information about pelicans, it’s a small point. Yuly’s torn-paper, ink, and digital-media artwork is the standout here. Each page is saturated with blues, pinks, or purples. On some pages, the pelican is silhouetted in black, while on others, it’s rendered with just a few strokes of black ink. Yuly imbues her subject with verve and energy; readers will be just as eager to see the results of the pelican’s flight as the birds waiting back home in the nest.

Will prompt well-deserved appreciation for this unique bird.