Parents hoping to take their kids on fishing trips will find some fun, rhyming encouragement here.
A clever fish narrates this playful, picture-book ode to the “game” of fishing.
Walter the Wily Walleye lives in a lake, “waiting for you to catch me, a game I play called fishing.” He describes his own talents—including his great night vision, which helps him catch minnows—as well as offering readers advice on how to fish. Although Walter acknowledges that he loves to hide from anyone who’s fishing, he prefers it when children try to catch him, because he likes their laughter. Debut author Allen’s smoothly rhyming prose plays with the idea of schools of fish being places of learning where pupils are taught not to take food from strangers; however, this contradicts Walter’s request for children to bring him minnows or worms. The rhymes also introduce new vocabulary words for emerging readers (“elusive,” “wily”). Alberts creates images of realistic-looking fish with human characteristics; in one dynamic image, Walter grabs onto a child’s line with his fin, tricking the boy into thinking Walter is hooked. Pale-skinned, mostly male human anglers appear, and some of the fish feature overdone lipstick and eyeshadow as gender indicators. Allen also delicately avoids revealing what would happen to Walter if he were actually hooked.
Parents hoping to take their kids on fishing trips will find some fun, rhyming encouragement here.Pub Date: Oct. 12, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-692-10292-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Fishing Quest Publishing
Review Posted Online: April 7, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Less charming than the opener but does feature a thimbleful of moral quandary at its center.
Armed only with her magical sewing needle, foundling mouse Delphine sets out to confront the cruel rat king in this duology closer.
As vicious rat armies pillage the mouse realms in search of her and her pointy, long-hidden treasure, Delphine finds herself waging an inner war that parallels the outer one. According to dusty documents and other reputable sources, the needle’s good powers can be perverted, but she sees no other way except killing to stop evil rat King Midnight. While struggling with a grim determination to go over to the dark side that sets her at odds with her own fundamentally loving nature, Delphine threads her way along with loyal allies past various scrapes—only to come, climactically, face to face with not only her nemesis, but her own past. Moon stitches in flashbacks to fill out the details of a tragic old love triangle that reaches its fruition here and sews her tale up with a return to Château Desjardins just in time for Cinderella’s wedding and a celebratory rodentine ball in the chandelier overhead, and she leaves a fringe of epilogue hinting at further installments to come.
Less charming than the opener but does feature a thimbleful of moral quandary at its center. (secret codes) (Animal fantasy. 10-12)Pub Date: March 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-368-04833-0
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
An eminently satisfying story of family, recovery, and growing into manhood.
In this prequel to Newbery Award–winning The Crossover (2014), Alexander revisits previous themes and formats while exploring new ones.
For Charlie Bell, the future father of The Crossover’s Jordan and Josh, his father’s death alters his relationship with his mother and causes him to avoid what reminds him of his dad. At first, he’s just withdrawn, but after he steals from a neighbor, his mother packs a reluctant Charlie off to his grandparents near Washington, D.C., for the summer. His grandfather works part-time at a Boys and Girls Club where his cousin Roxie is a star basketball player. Despite his protests, she draws him into the game. His time with his grandparents deepens Charlie’s understanding of his father, and he begins to heal. “I feel / a little more normal, / like maybe he’s still here, / … in a / as long as I remember him / he’s still right here / in my heart / kind of way.” Once again, Alexander has given readers an African-American protagonist to cheer. He is surrounded by a strong supporting cast, especially two brilliant female characters, his friend CJ and his cousin Roxie, as well as his feisty and wise granddaddy. Music and cultural references from the late 1980s add authenticity. The novel in verse is enhanced by Anyabwile’s art, which reinforces Charlie’s love for comics.
An eminently satisfying story of family, recovery, and growing into manhood. (Historical verse fiction. 10-12)Pub Date: April 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-544-86813-7
Page Count: 416
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
SEEN & HEARD
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