Readers will appreciate learning that there’s more than one way to sing a song.
Rhyming quatrains combine with an energy-filled rap to capture a bear’s journey of self-discovery.
Birdsong has woken the little brown bear up for so long that he knows all the words. But when he tries singing them, his voice is “strong, / but it wasn’t exactly / a bird sort of song.” In fact, his voice makes the birds fly away. When an owl flutters down to give advice, the bear jumps to the wrong conclusions. The owl points out that birds fly. Instead of understanding that birds and bears are different, the bear thinks learning to fly will help him sing—but, of course, he just falls to the ground. The owl explains that birds have beaks, so the bear creates a paper beak—but that does nothing for his singing. When the owl finally suggests there are plenty of things the bear can do, the enthusiastic ursine discovers his own song, a rap. “I can…swim, I can catch. / I can sniff, I can scratch….” As his audience grows, his rap builds in enthusiasm and self-realization until the exhausted bear remembers something else he loves to do—sleep. Simple illustrations in bold crayon colors against a neutral background make this book a good storytime selection, though it will take some practice to perfect the meter and transitions in and out of the rap segment.
Readers will appreciate learning that there’s more than one way to sing a song. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 7, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-500-65181-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2019
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
Parent-child love and affection, appealingly presented, with the added attraction of the seasonal content and lack of gender...
A polar-bear parent speaks poetically of love for a child.
A genderless adult and cub travel through the landscapes of an arctic year. Each of the softly rendered double-page paintings has a very different feel and color palette as the pair go through the seasons, walking through wintry ice and snow and green summer meadows, cavorting in the blue ocean, watching whales, and playing beside musk oxen. The rhymes of the four-line stanzas are not forced, as is the case too often in picture books of this type: “When cold, winter winds / blow the leaves far and wide, / You’ll cross the great icebergs / with me by your side.” On a dark, snowy night, the loving parent says: “But for now, cuddle close / while the stars softly shine. // I’ll always be yours, / and you’ll always be mine.” As the last illustration shows the pair curled up for sleep, young listeners will be lulled to sweet dreams by the calm tenor of the pictures and the words. While far from original, this timeless theme is always in demand, and the combination of delightful illustrations and poetry that scans well make this a good choice for early-childhood classrooms, public libraries, and one-on-one home read-alouds.
Parent-child love and affection, appealingly presented, with the added attraction of the seasonal content and lack of gender restrictions. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-68010-070-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
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