An intriguing but uneven tale with a lovely environmental theme and some gorgeous images.
A rhyming picture book offers an appreciation of nature.
Opening with a quote from naturalist John Muir, Cade’s story starts on a strong note, showing humanity’s connection to the natural world in a stunning opening illustration. Describing how “nature’s factory takes / in toxins, giving back air,” the rhyming text leans into metaphors of how Mother Nature provides everything that is needed. For the most part, this tale is effective, especially when describing the natural world’s beauty and the unity of all living things. Calling on readers to do their part, the narrator emphasizes the responsibility humans have to care for the planet. But despite the idea of unity, credits given to Native Americans as “our first stewards” who taught “us to take / only what we need— / and leave abundance / guaranteed” feel awkward. The author is clearly trying to praise Indigenous peoples, but doesn’t quite succeed. The text glosses over broken treaties and treats Native Americans as a monolith. In addition, Riegler’s mixed-media images represent Native peoples with stereotypical iconography. Still, the rest of the illustrations are beautiful, particularly when representing Earth in human form, with ocean skirts and forests in her hair. The watercolor backgrounds deliver a sense of realism, and the sweet cartoon animals have kid appeal. While Cade’s scansion shifts, the rhymes are easy to find and the flow is musical. But the choice to use cursive for key phrases may stymie emergent readers.
An intriguing but uneven tale with a lovely environmental theme and some gorgeous images.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Snapdragon Publishing
Review Posted Online: Aug. 23, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A funny tale about stress and an ever upping ante, with a comforting end.
Something is preventing Owl from falling asleep.
Owl leans back against his white pillow and headboard. “Squeek!” says something underneath the bed. Owl’s never heard that sound before, so he fastens his pink bathrobe and answers the front door. Nobody. It must be the wind; back to bed. Bidding himself goodnight, he climbs into bed—and hears the noise again. Time after time, he pops out of bed seeking the squeaker. Is it in the cupboard? He empties the shelves. Under the floor? He pulls up his floorboards. As Owl’s actions ratchet up—he destroys the roof and smashes the walls, all in search of the squeak—so does his anxiety. Not until he hunkers down in bed under the night sky (his bed is now outdoors, because the house’s roof and walls are gone), frantically clutching his pillow, does he see what readers have seen all along: a small, gray mouse. In simple illustrations with black outlines, textured coloring, and foreshortened perspective, Pizzoli plays mischievously with mouse placement. Sometimes the mouse is behind Owl or just out of his sightline; other times, the mouse is on a solid, orange-colored page across the spread from Owl, which removes him from Owl’s scene in a rather postmodern manner. Is the mouse toying with Owl? Who knows?
A funny tale about stress and an ever upping ante, with a comforting end. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 19, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4847-1275-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2016
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