A simple tale of friendship that’s as sweet as pie.
Baking with a panda! What could go wrong?
Young Cindy sets off to the garden for ingredients to make sweet rhubarb pie—her favorite—but returns with something even sweeter: a panda friend! After convincing her mother that she can be responsible for the panda, Cindy shows her lovable new sous-chef the basics of pie-making. First, of course, they must play dress-up, have a tea party, and climb some trees. After all, “playing is a very important part of pie preparation.” Next, Cindy shows Panda how to measure ingredients, carefully pour them in…then throw out the recipe book and “freestyle!” But just as they are ready to add their final ingredient, conflict arises and feelings sour. There’s nothing that the power of friendship and blueberry pie can’t fix, though! Shum’s chibi-style characters with their adorably plump proportions, squishable cheeks, and exaggerated expressions add undeniable charm and a touch of humor to the story. The endpapers depict scenes of Cindy developing a sense of independence along with cute moments with her mother and Panda, adding depth to the characters and their relationships. This endearing, relatable tale will especially speak to caregivers of children taking their first steps toward self-reliance. The story is finished off with a recipe for blueberry pie (which Cindy and Panda end up making). Cindy and her mother appear to be of East Asian descent. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A simple tale of friendship that’s as sweet as pie. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: May 9, 2023
ISBN: 9780063248182
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
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