Truly, you don’t need words to tell a great (and all-too-relatable) dog tale.
Misery and affection go hand in hand when it comes to taking your pup out for walkies.
Upon returning home from walking the dog, all a kid wants is to get into dry clothes and play some computer games. The child’s overexcited pup has different plans, however. After the dog gets tangled in the electrical cords and knocks the computer over, the child dons a raincoat once more and takes the pooch out into the miserable weather again. The youngster is less than pleased. The pup, in contrast, is ecstatic. Initially aggrieved, the kid begins to slow down and notice the beauty of the natural world. Things might be wet, messy, muddy, and slick, but sometimes it takes a canine to show what’s already in front of your eyes. In this entirely wordless tale, Lourenço evinces emotion on the page with admirable acuity. Both the child, who has paper-white skin, and the dog vie equally for readers’ sympathies at the beginning. Colors, like the yellow of the rain slicker or the vibrant red of the leash, pop magnificently when presented against the blue gloom of the day, the hues brightening in tandem with the kid’s mood. This is a natural successor to Doug Salati’s Caldecott-winning Hot Dog (2022).
Truly, you don’t need words to tell a great (and all-too-relatable) dog tale. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 14, 2024
ISBN: 9781645678717
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Page Street
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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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