Silly, with a dash of science.
In this prehistoric tale, a misfit hatchling from an abandoned egg ends up saving his family.
“Edna the very first chicken was hatching her very first eggs.” Her seven eggs hatch, and Ankylosaurus, Parasaurolophus, and Triceratops gather to admire her chicks. The dinosaurs point out another, speckled egg. It isn’t Edna’s, but she decides to take care of it anyway. After all, “one more baby won’t make any difference.” Famous last words. Unlike Edna’s other babies, Sinclair is a feathered dinosaur with “long, sharp teeth and claws instead of wings.” The story humorously riffs on the fact that birds and dinosaurs are related in evolutionary terms, while the art makes it abundantly clear that Sinclair is no chicken. Still, though he has trouble pecking, fluttering, and clucking like the others, his family lovingly accepts him. Bernstein’s illustrations have a loose, comical style that will mitigate readers’ fears when a big, mean, fast, hungry Gorgosaurus makes off with two of Sinclair’s sisters. All the chickens pursue the beast, but speedy velociraptor Sinclair catches up and rescues his sisters, who declare him the “BEST. CHICKEN. EVER.” An author’s note explains the science behind the story: Many birds do imprint on the first living thing they see, while paleontologist Robert Bakker has found evidence that velociraptors really did spend time in trees.
Silly, with a dash of science. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 16, 2024
ISBN: 9781250781994
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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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