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SAM WITH ANTS IN HIS PANTS

Name: SAM WITH ANTS IN HIS PANTS
Author: April Reynolds
ISBN: 978-0-593-56460-8

by April Reynolds ; illustrated by Katie Kordesh ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 20, 2023

Clever, immersive fun.

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The tale of a wild imagination put to good use.

Sam, a Black boy whose Momma says he has “ants in his pants,” can’t be still. It’s time for his afternoon nap, but Sam is uninterested. Although he yells “NOOO!” he goes to his room, shuts the door…and opens his favorite book, African Wildlife, which features a lion on the cover. Immediately, a herd of gazelles jumps out and bounds around his room, followed by a pride of lions, a zeal of zebras, and several other groups of animals. Each zoological collection makes a sound that provides great fodder for interactive read-alouds. Observant readers will notice that Sam’s drawings on the wall of his room and his stuffed animals resemble those that have emerged from the book. Like Maurice Sendak’s Max, Sam isn’t intimidated by wild things—he even dances with the leap of leopards. He also attempts to retrieve his shoes from the crash of rhinos, which find his soles quite tasty. The loudest growl of all—from Sam’s tummy—gets everyone’s attention and leads to a satisfying ending. Throughout this lively picture book, readers will learn many collective nouns for animals and even a few facts. Kordesh’s whimsical illustrations, rendered in watercolor and ink, make the animals that could be frightening humorous and entertaining. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Clever, immersive fun. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: June 20, 2023

ISBN: 978-0-593-56460-8

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Anne Schwartz/Random

Review Posted Online: April 24, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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THE LEAF THIEF

by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nicola Slater ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 2021

A hilarious autumnal comedy of errors.

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A confused squirrel overreacts to the falling autumn leaves.

Relaxing on a tree branch, Squirrel admires the red, gold, and orange leaves. Suddenly Squirrel screams, “One of my leaves is…MISSING!” Searching for the leaf, Squirrel tells Bird, “Someone stole my leaf!” Spying Mouse sailing in a leaf boat, Squirrel asks if Mouse stole the leaf. Mouse calmly replies in the negative. Bird reminds Squirrel it’s “perfectly normal to lose a leaf or two at this time of year.” Next morning Squirrel panics again, shrieking, “MORE LEAVES HAVE BEEN STOLEN!” Noticing Woodpecker arranging colorful leaves, Squirrel queries, “Are those my leaves?” Woodpecker tells Squirrel, “No.” Again, Bird assures Squirrel that no one’s taking the leaves and that the same thing happened last year, then encourages Squirrel to relax. Too wired to relax despite some yoga and a bath, the next day Squirrel cries “DISASTER” at the sight of bare branches. Frantic now, Squirrel becomes suspicious upon discovering Bird decorating with multicolored leaves. Is Bird the culprit? In response, Bird shows Squirrel the real Leaf Thief: the wind. Squirrel’s wildly dramatic, misguided, and hyperpossessive reaction to a routine seasonal event becomes a rib-tickling farce through clever use of varying type sizes and weights emphasizing his absurd verbal pronouncements as well as exaggerated, comic facial expressions and body language. Bold colors, arresting perspectives, and intense close-ups enhance Squirrel’s histrionics. Endnotes explain the science behind the phenomenon.

A hilarious autumnal comedy of errors. (Picture book. 4-7)