Siasi’s whirlwind curiosity, energy, and imagination will inspire younger kids to mimic and love the animal world (if not to...
An energetic Inuit girl develops a bedtime ritual built on refusals in this picture book featuring Canadian animals.
This is a very simple bedtime story for caregivers who wish to demonstrate the inevitability of getting tired and going to sleep, even when the child in question has as much energy as young Siasi. Beginning with the same refrain with each page turn—“It’s time for bed. The sun has set”—an unseen adult asks Siasi what part of her bedtime routine she has accomplished. Reliably, Siasi yells, “NoooOOOooo!” when she is asked to complete her tasks in preparation for sleep. Her bedroom is depicted as a wilderness in which she mimics imaginary animals. She dances with a polar bear rather than brushing her teeth, runs with caribou instead of putting on her pajamas, and flaps her arms with a flock of geese when she should be putting away her toys. With its simple language and reliable call-and-response structure, the book is well-suited for very young children or kids who are learning to read. Siasi’s spunk, as depicted in the lively illustrations, is the book’s greatest strength. Mack’s digital artwork features pleasing pastels, printlike textures, and shading that suggests Siasi’s imaginary animal world. While little kids will have fun honking, roaring, and howling with Siasi, the book lacks culturally specific details that would make this a more enduring read.
Siasi’s whirlwind curiosity, energy, and imagination will inspire younger kids to mimic and love the animal world (if not to go to bed) . (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-77227-227-7
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Inhabit Media
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2019
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
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
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