Doesn’t quite jell but worthwhile reading nevertheless.
In a simple tale based on Rachel Carson’s writings, the naturalist takes her great-nephew on a walk that reinforces the better parts of his emerging selfhood.
The story begins by stating that it is bedtime in Rachel’s cabin in the woods and a thunderstorm is brewing. On the next double-page spread, a little boy named Roger, dressed in Godzilla PJs, plays monster with a woman named Rachel whose relationship to him is explained only in the backmatter. Roger is scared when the lights go out—although he will not admit it—and he is rude to Rachel when she tries to comfort him. Throughout the book, Roger’s all-too-human, childish behavior swings rapidly through phases of obstreperousness, fright, and tenderness while Rachel’s attitude and speech unwaveringly resemble the wise woman of fairy tales. Her didacticism works for any age of reader when she is discussing luminescent ocean life but not so well when she reminds Roger he loves and protects the wilderness. After the storm, Rachel and Roger walk through woods to the sea. Here the text is lovely and lyrical. The climax comes when Roger discovers a struggling firefly in the seafoam and Rachel helps him rescue it. The tale is slightly long for a bedtime read-aloud, making it apt for slightly older preschoolers. When illustrating natural phenomena, the art—like the text—is magical. The human depictions are sometimes awkward.
Doesn’t quite jell but worthwhile reading nevertheless. (biographical note, science note, further reading) (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5247-0147-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2020
Readers are likely to love it to the moon and back.
Little Nutbrown Hare ventures out into the wide world and comes back with a new companion in this sequel to Guess How Much I Love You (1994).
Big Nutbrown Hare is too busy, so after asking permission, Little Nutbrown Hare scampers off over the rolling meadow to play by himself. After discovering that neither his shadow nor his reflection make satisfactory playmates (“You’re only another me!”), Little Nutbrown comes to Cloudy Mountain…and meets “Someone real!” It’s a white bunny who introduces herself as Tipps. But a wonderful round of digging and building and chasing about reaches an unexpected end with a game of hide-and-seek, because both hares hide! After waiting a long time to be found, Little Nutbrown Hare hops on home in disappointment, wondering whether he’ll ever see Tipps again. As it turns out, it doesn’t take long to find out, since she has followed him. “Now, where on earth did she come from?” wonders Big Nutbrown. “Her name is Tipps,” Little Nutbrown proudly replies, “and she’s my friend.” Jeram’s spacious, pale-toned, naturalistic outdoor scenes create a properly idyllic setting for this cozy development in a tender child-caregiver relationship—which hasn’t lost a bit of its appealing intimacy in the more than 25 years since its first appearance. As in the first, Big Nutbrown Hare is ungendered, facilitating pleasingly flexible readings.
Readers are likely to love it to the moon and back. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1747-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: June 29, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
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This is a tremendously moving story, but some people will be moved only on the second reading, after they’ve Googled “How to...
A hug shouldn’t require an instruction manual—but some do.
A porcupine can frighten even the largest animal. In this picture book, a bear and a deer, along with a small rabbit, each run away when they hear eight simple words and their name: “I need a hug. Will you cuddle me,…?” As they flee, each utters a definitive refusal that rhymes with their name. The repetitive structure gives Blabey plenty of opportunities for humor, because every animal responds to the question with an outlandish, pop-eyed expression of panic. But the understated moments are even funnier. Each animal takes a moment to think over the request, and the drawings are nuanced enough that readers can see the creatures react with slowly building anxiety or, sometimes, a glassy stare. These silent reaction shots not only show exquisite comic timing, but they make the rhymes in the text feel pleasingly subtle by delaying the final line in each stanza. The story is a sort of fable about tolerance. It turns out that a porcupine can give a perfectly adequate hug when its quills are flat and relaxed, but no one stays around long enough to find out except for an animal that has its own experiences with intolerance: a snake. It’s an apt, touching moral, but the climax may confuse some readers as they try to figure out the precise mechanics of the embrace.
This is a tremendously moving story, but some people will be moved only on the second reading, after they’ve Googled “How to pet a porcupine.” (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Jan. 29, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-29710-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 29, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2018
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