An engaging protagonist overcomes sibling conflicts and finds adventure.
An intrepid mouse deals with family dynamics.
In this follow-up to Jennings’ children’s novel Mia: Ripples in the Water (2019), Mia is back with her family of anthropomorphized mice in Italy. She takes part in the daily gathering of food, cooperates with her brothers, Cade and Rupert, and copes with the hostility and jealousy from another group of siblings led by her sister, Invidia. The book opens with an incident in the marketplace, where the mice escape a cat and the attentions of the merchants whose crumbs they steal. Papino and Mamma enjoy their family, though the conflicts between some of their children are evident. When Mia loses track of one of Papino’s old diaries, Invidia hides the work and allows her sister to think it is lost. Invidia then tells Mia that Papino has said he can never forgive a child who loses one of his books. Mia, who has no idea that Papino’s reaction was the opposite, decides she is unworthy of her family and runs away. At first, the family thinks Mia has joined the rescue efforts as the mouse community grapples with the aftermath of a major earthquake. But when Cade and Rupert arrive at the spot where rescue workers are organizing, they realize Mia is missing. Invidia, who tagged along on their journey, makes a new friend among the survivors who inspires her to repair her relationship with Mia. Mia has been on her own journey of self-discovery, and when she encounters Cade and Rupert, she is ready to return home, sure that Papino loves her despite her mistakes. In Jennings’ engrossing sequel, Invidia and Mia are both strong characters, and the conflict between them feels authentic (“Invidia and her group…spent most of their time gossiping and taunting others. Mia was their favorite target. Jealousy toward her took root from the attention she received from Papino”). The frequent references to Mia’s previous escapades may seem excessive to readers who have not perused the series opener, but they will have no trouble following the story here. This vibrant blend of the spirit of the Redwall fiction series and the Ramona Quimby novels will likely appeal to young independent readers.
An engaging protagonist overcomes sibling conflicts and finds adventure.Pub Date: June 30, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-73727-611-1
Page Count: 264
Publisher: Bowker Identifier Services
Review Posted Online: Sept. 8, 2022
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
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come.
Little Blue Truck and his pal Toad meet friends old and new on a springtime drive through the country.
This lift-the-flap, interactive entry in the popular Little Blue Truck series lacks the narrative strength and valuable life lessons of the original Little Blue Truck (2008) and its sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way (2009). Both of those books, published for preschoolers rather than toddlers, featured rich storylines, dramatic, kinetic illustrations, and simple but valuable life lessons—the folly of taking oneself too seriously, the importance of friends, and the virtue of taking turns, for example. At about half the length and with half as much text as the aforementioned titles, this volume is a much quicker read. Less a story than a vernal celebration, the book depicts a bucolic drive through farmland and encounters with various animals and their young along the way. Beautifully rendered two-page tableaux teem with butterflies, blossoms, and vibrant pastel, springtime colors. Little Blue greets a sheep standing in the door of a barn: “Yoo-hoo, Sheep! / Beep-beep! / What’s new?” Folding back the durable, card-stock flap reveals the barn’s interior and an adorable set of twin lambs. Encounters with a duck and nine ducklings, a cow with a calf, a pig with 10 (!) piglets, a family of bunnies, and a chicken with a freshly hatched chick provide ample opportunity for counting and vocabulary work.
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-544-93809-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
