A highly enjoyable read-aloud about finding creative ways to be flexible.
In Keres’ picture book, Finn the Frog loves cleanliness, but he learns there are benefits to getting a little messy.
Finn is not like other frogs: He likes the book that he lives in, the very one that the reader is holding, to be picture perfect. He’s happy to share his home with his readers, but when someone with messy hands comes along, Finn does not stay calm for long. First are the orange cheesy puff fingerprints marking the pages that serve as the walls of his home; then grape juice sticks and drips along his home’s corners. It isn’t until the gum comes out that Finn begins to really panic. What’s a frog to do when a fly invades his home? It’s up to the reader to help Finn find better solutions on how to keep things clean. Keres’ entertaining story gives the reader a role in Finn’s life, staging the interaction as a potentially hilarious dialogue between reader and main character. Finn will even mention when to turn the page, giving the book a metanarrative quality. His aversion to messiness is funny, and the conclusion cleverly reveals why a frog is the star of this story instead of any other animal. Lin’s illustrations are colorful and perfectly represent Finn’s roller-coaster emotions. Like the text (“Wipe your hands and put that snack away RIGHT NOW!!”), the pictures interact with the reader, such as when a child’s hand appears to stand in for the reader’s hand on Page 21. This fun adventure story would make for a great read-aloud, just like its literary cousin Open Very Carefully: A Book With Bite! by Nick Bromley (2013).
A highly enjoyable read-aloud about finding creative ways to be flexible.Pub Date: Dec. 10, 2022
ISBN: 9798985911268
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
An accessible entrance into the world of social-emotional skills.
What do you do when the world turns upside down?
Freckled redhead Tilda is a happy only child with a rollicking personality. With lots of books and toys and a multiracial group of friends, life is perfect as far as she’s concerned…until her world undergoes a troubling change (a subtle hint in the illustrations suggests that Tilda’s parents have divorced). Suddenly, nothing feels right, everything seems hard, and she doesn’t want to play with her friends. To reflect this emotional disorientation, the artwork shows Tilda in spatially distorted settings, complete with upside-down objects. It’s not until she sees an upturned ladybug struggle persistently before getting back on its feet (despite Tilda’s desire to help, the ladybug needs to help itself) that Tilda gains the courage to start taking baby steps in order to cope with her new reality. There are still challenges, and she needs to persevere, but eventually, she regains her zest for life and reconnects with her friends. Despite this, the ending avoids an easy happily-ever-after, which feels just right for the subject matter. Though a trifle didactic, the story sends an important message about the roles of self-efficacy and persistence when it comes to overcoming challenges and building resilience. Percival’s digital illustrations use transitions from grayscale to color to create symbolic meaning and have psychological depth, deftly capturing a child’s experience of trauma.
An accessible entrance into the world of social-emotional skills. (author's note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0822-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2022
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