An endearing friendship tale that’s a little one-sided yet still brimming with kid appeal.
Caterpillar pals Parsley and Zip are opposite in everything.
Parsley and Zip hatched on the same leaf, on the same day, but while Parsley lives in the moment, Zip plans every detail of their lives. Zip grows increasingly stressed over Parsley’s lack of concern. One day, they run out of lettuce. Ever the well-prepared caterpillar, Zip has a plan to find more lettuce, but it involves facing some scary chickens. As they journey toward the chicken-guarded lettuce, Parsley stops to play, eat, and rest, savoring the trip, while Zip urges his laid-back friend to keep up. A frustrated Zip has had enough and decides things should change. The next day, something has changed—Parsley has transformed into a cocoon! Nothing Zip does makes his friend react, and Zip is sad that he doesn’t have a solution. Trying to think of what Parsley would do, Zip finally starts to enjoy life, but the chickens are still around—and they’re hungry. Zip can’t think of a plan, but Parsley, now a butterfly, appears and saves Zip. This amusing tale conveys the message that flexibility is important in friendship, though it might have been stronger if the duo had learned from each other instead of Zip learning to be more like Parsley. Still, the book is funny and sweet. Much of the humor lies in the cute illustrations, with comical expressions from the two caterpillars. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An endearing friendship tale that’s a little one-sided yet still brimming with kid appeal. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-78628-476-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Child's Play
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2022
A tender book to help little ones make sense of the emotions around prayer.
Actor Metz and songwriter Collins join illustrator Fields in their second faith-related title for young children.
Instead of focusing on the language of prayer—what to say or how to say it—this book explores a topic central to the lives of the very young: their feelings around talking to God. Rhymes and near-rhymes in the AABB verses enumerate the simple challenges and triumphs experienced by a series of animals: “Sometimes I’m sad, not sure what to do. / There are days I feel teary, unhappy, or blue. / I fell off a log. I’m embarrassed and hurt. / My coat and paws are all covered in dirt.” An accompanying illustration depicts a sad wolf pup, a definite contrast to its siblings, who are delighting in their play. The highlight of the book is Fields’ animal characters. Whether happy, nervous, or sad, their expressive faces are easy to read, and their feelings will be familiar to young tots. The beaver’s frustration is palpable, and the tears in the scared raccoon’s eyes may just make readers’ own eyes well up. Some of the animals have a God stand-in to help them with their feelings—a friend or family member—but the final spread shows all the individual animals coming together in a couple of group hugs that express where children can find support (and sweetly defy predator–prey relationships).
A tender book to help little ones make sense of the emotions around prayer. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780593691366
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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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