A low-conflict, quiet book with an intriguing mix of illustrations and a message about not worrying too much about the...
A mouse fears the loss of his woodpile home—and the cat who stalks him outside it—in this picture book for beginning readers by debut author/illustrator Ericsson.
Jimey, a small, white rodent—pictured as having a triangular head, a triangular body, and two large, oval-shaped ears—lives in a woodpile on Farmer Karson’s farm. He loves his home: it keeps him dry, warm, and safe from Kloee, a tuxedo cat illustrated in a similar, geometric fashion. As winter approaches, the woodpile becomes smaller and smaller, and Jimey begins to wonder what will happen if it vanishes altogether. But when the mouse is at his lowest, he hears a crashing sound and finds that not only has his woodpile been replenished, but also that the farmer has been watching over him. The allegorical tone of Farmer Karson’s statement (“There’s no need to be afraid, my friend. I’ve been looking out for you all along”) is reminiscent of tales in which a loving God watches over his followers, but the focus of the book is appropriately on Jimey’s joys and fears. At first glance, readers may find the two distinct illustration styles to be dissonant—the geometric patterns of Jimey and Kloee, and the background images, which have an altered, photographic quality. But by the end, the contrast seems to fit the story. Ericsson also includes seek-and-find pages at the end of the book, encouraging young readers to look for recurring details, such as a ladybug that appears on several pages, or a teddy bear in Jimey’s home. For readers who need larger print, the author enlarges images and clearly prints the word that represents them below. The density of the text may be a hurdle for beginning readers, but the vocabulary is well-suited to its age group. Youngsters will be happy for Jimey when his woodpile is restored.
A low-conflict, quiet book with an intriguing mix of illustrations and a message about not worrying too much about the future.Pub Date: July 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-9903539-0-4
Page Count: 48
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.
In Florence’s middle-grade fantasy novel, a young girl’s heart is tested in the face of an evil, spreading Darkness.
Eleven-year-old Lydia, “freckle-cheeked and round-eyed, with hair the color of pine bark and fair skin,” is struggling with the knowledge that she has reached the age to apprentice as an herbalist. Lydia is reluctant to leave her beloved, magical Mulberry Glen and her cozy Housetree in the woods—she’ll miss Garder, the Glen’s respected philosopher; her fairy guardian Pit; her human friend Livy; and even the mischievous part-elf, part-imp, part-human twins Zale and Zamilla. But the twins go missing after hearing of a soul-sapping Darkness that has swallowed a forest and is creeping into minds and engulfing entire towns. They have secretly left to find a rare fruit that, it is said, will stop the Darkness if thrown into the heart of the mountain that rises out of the lethal forest. Lydia follows, determined to find the twins before they, too, fall victim to the Darkness. During her journey, accompanied by new friends, she gradually realizes that she herself has a dangerous role to play in the quest to stop the Darkness. In this well-crafted fantasy, Florence skillfully equates the physical manifestation of Darkness with the feelings of insecurity and powerlessness that Lydia first struggles with when thinking of leaving the Glen. Such negative thoughts grow more intrusive the closer she and her friends come to the Darkness—and to Lydia’s ultimate, powerfully rendered test of character, which leads to a satisfyingly realistic, not quite happily-ever-after ending. Highlights include a delightfully haunting, reality-shifting library and a deft sprinkling of Latin throughout the text; Pit’s pet name for Lydia is mea flosculus (“my little flower”). Fine-lined ink drawings introducing each chapter add a pleasing visual element to this well-grounded fairy tale.
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781956393095
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Waxwing Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
© 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.
