A well-plotted canine adventure that ably integrates social-emotional themes.
In this middle-grade, action-packed canine adventure, 2B and his shelter mate Maurice find adventure and companionship in their quest for forever homes.
2B, a mixed-breed canine, has resided at Best-ever Adoption Residence for Canines for most of his life. After his favorite owner and chef, Dragana, leaves behind 2B, he lives in three unique homes. First, he inhabits a well-manicured residence, which he ransacks to convey his loneliness. After the owners return him to BARC, Doreen and Dwayne adopt him. The couple plans on dolling him up, showing him at PoodlePalooza, and somehow cashing in. But when things go awry, they abandon him in the middle of nowhere. On his return to BARC, he and neighbor Maurice are adopted to serve as hunting dogs. But they’re brought back to the shelter when they find truffles instead of birds. Back at BARC again, the unthinkable happens: A mysterious explosion destroys the shelter. As 2B and Maurice stand by while Officer Stanley Mieczyslaw and Ginger Georges of Working Like a Dog, an organization that trains dogs for law enforcement, investigate, the dogs realize Ginger might need their services. So, the canines do what they can to impress Ginger, work for WLAD, and, ultimately, stay together. They land the gig, and while on their missions, they grasp the importance of teamwork and companionship. What they find is in the end, their noses serve them well, earning them the title of “24-Karat” dogs. Former educator and writer Neuschwander’s tale uses age-appropriate sensory details to engage young readers while educating students about dogs in a subtle, appealing manner. The plot development builds suspense as the dogs face various trials. Best of all, the story encourages connection and teamwork as the dogs rely on each other—with their individual strengths and weaknesses—to accomplish one goal. Although there are moments when some of the smaller quests are a bit slow to unfold, this is a fun novel reminiscent of Chris Grabenstein’s Dog Squad (2021).
A well-plotted canine adventure that ably integrates social-emotional themes.Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2023
ISBN: 9798218172794
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Chocolate Puddle Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 8, 2023
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
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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