A succinct and satisfying first look at some fascinating creatures.
In this Canadian import, baby animals and birds of the Pacific West Coast region are introduced with brief descriptions of their birth environments.
The introductory pages show a human father and his baby near the shore of the Pacific Ocean, with a pair of raccoon cubs peeking out from the roots of an enormous tree. In a subtle framing device, the final spread shows a human mother with her baby, observing a mother raccoon and her two little ones on the beach. The human characters present white. The animal and bird babies are presented through a structured format in subsequent double-page spreads, with a large trim size that effectively showcases the dramatic illustrations. The appealing animals and birds stand out in scenes filled with the soft blues and greens of outdoor settings interspersed with trees, wildflowers, and ferns, and a variety of perspectives and motion enhance interest. The names of the babies are set in large type followed by a paragraph of text detailing circumstances of birth, early growth, and other details such as diet or migration patterns. One or both parents are shown tending to their young, sometimes with surprising tenderness, as in the illustration of a sea otter pup nestled on its mother’s chest. This informative introduction will be especially useful in the Pacific West Coast region, but it has a wider appeal to a broad audience in both locale and age.
A succinct and satisfying first look at some fascinating creatures. (author’s note, bibliography) (Informational picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: April 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-77306-248-8
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: Dec. 17, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones.
Not even the arrival of autumn can cool down this impetuous squirrel.
Although Squirrel is skeptical about Bird’s vegetable patch (“Nothing is HAPPENING!”), Bird does produce five (count them) lovely pumpkins. Squirrel picks out a favorite: “The enormous orange one.” Bird hints that Squirrel might want to help out; Squirrel sets out to fetch some work gloves and returns to find only four pumpkins. The frequently distracted Squirrel notices more gourds disappearing and leaps to the conclusion that a thief is near. And where’s Bird?! Has Squirrel’s pal also been taken? Diligently detecting, Squirrel finds clues—peck marks, footprints, and more—and produces a sketch of the suspect. As readers will guess, each clue turns out to point to one of Squirrel and Bird’s friends. Turns out Bird was delivering pumpkins to their pals while saving the big one to give to “my very best friend,” Squirrel. But why does Squirrel haul it up a tree? “So the Pumpkin Thief can’t find it, of course!” A page of pumpkin facts provides the learning component common to all titles in this series. Once more, readers will enjoy the pleasure of prediction and repetition, Squirrel’s silly persistence, Bird’s generosity, and the vibrant color illustrations, balancing orange with green.
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 28, 2026
ISBN: 9781464268076
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2026
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories.
Kids know vegetables can be scary, but rarely are edible roots out to get someone. In this whimsical mock-horror tale, carrots nearly frighten the whiskers off Jasper Rabbit, an interloper at Crackenhopper Field.
Jasper loves carrots, especially those “free for the taking.” He pulls some in the morning, yanks out a few in the afternoon, and comes again at night to rip out more. Reynolds builds delicious suspense with succinct language that allows understatements to be fully exploited in Brown’s hilarious illustrations. The cartoon pictures, executed in pencil and then digitally colored, are in various shades of gray and serve as a perfectly gloomy backdrop for the vegetables’ eerie orange on each page. “Jasper couldn’t get enough carrots … / … until they started following him.” The plot intensifies as Jasper not only begins to hear the veggies nearby, but also begins to see them everywhere. Initially, young readers will wonder if this is all a product of Jasper’s imagination. Was it a few snarling carrots or just some bathing items peeking out from behind the shower curtain? The ending truly satisfies both readers and the book’s characters alike. And a lesson on greed goes down like honey instead of a forkful of spinach.
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0297-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
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