A playful story that siblings will appreciate.
A brother spins fanciful tales on his younger sister’s birthday in this debut picture book.
Every year on her birthday, a boy tells his sister about a magical being. But he explains she will have to wait until her next birthday to meet this figure. For example, on her second birthday, he tells her she will greet “the wise old wizard in the tree” when she turns 3 years old. But on the girl’s third birthday, the boy asserts that the wizard “had to flee” and she won’t see him. This pattern repeats for several birthdays as the brother describes beings his sister will encounter, including an elf, a dragon, and a fairy. Ultimately, the boy says she won’t meet them after all. Though she is upset, he encourages her to be imaginative: “Enjoy each day that’s here. There’s so much magic we can make through every passing year.” The kids, who have light skin, are shown celebrating. Some youngsters may feel frustrated as the girl becomes distraught by her brother’s tales. Still, the message to enjoy each other’s company is relatable. Ballenger’s story offers lively, creative imagery. Aguilera’s whimsical illustrations are charming and fun. They feature the siblings as well as the brother’s scenarios in bright colors and textured details. Some include subtext. For example, the last page depicts the siblings as older people in front of a birthday cake surrounded by the brother’s magical figures.
A playful story that siblings will appreciate.Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-73572-809-4
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Warren Publishing, Inc.
Review Posted Online: Dec. 8, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
Not enough tricks to make this a treat.
Another holiday title (How To Catch the Easter Bunny by Adam Wallace, illustrated by Elkerton, 2017) sticks to the popular series’ formula.
Rhyming four-line verses describe seven intrepid trick-or-treaters’ efforts to capture the witch haunting their Halloween. Rhyming roadblocks with toolbox is an acceptable stretch, but too often too many words or syllables in the lines throw off the cadence. Children familiar with earlier titles will recognize the traps set by the costume-clad kids—a pulley and box snare, a “Tunnel of Tricks.” Eventually they accept her invitation to “floss, bump, and boogie,” concluding “the dance party had hit the finale at last, / each dancing monster started to cheer! / There’s no doubt about it, we have to admit: / This witch threw the party of the year!” The kids are diverse, and their costumes are fanciful rather than scary—a unicorn, a dragon, a scarecrow, a red-haired child in a lab coat and bow tie, a wizard, and two space creatures. The monsters, goblins, ghosts, and jack-o'-lanterns, backgrounded by a turquoise and purple night sky, are sufficiently eerie. Still, there isn’t enough originality here to entice any but the most ardent fans of Halloween or the series. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Not enough tricks to make this a treat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72821-035-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
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