Earnest, but unoriginal and lackluster.
A little mouse alone at sea endures a storm.
Little Mouse is sailing in a tiny boat on the sea. Inexplicably, he also carries a green houseplant with him, prominently illustrated but not mentioned in the text. The sea is rough and churns “vast, / and angry.” Little Mouse tries to put up his sail, but the wind is too strong; tries to drop his anchor, but the ocean is too deep. At this point, readers may wonder how the tiny mouse got out to the deep, vast sea with no sail up and why he brought the plant. Yes, this story is a metaphor (piled on quite thick), but some accurate sailing details and believable backstory would not have injured its delivery. Little Mouse is frightened, and to the single star in the sky, he says, “Please.” Sure enough, the next day, Mouse spies another little boat, then other boats. Night falls, then day breaks again. The boats are not “together but they weren’t alone”—rather like a Zoom meeting. Then the storm is over, everyone goes to land (Little Mouse leaves his houseplant on the boat), and it’s “time to be together.” The story’s earnest narrative unfortunately lacks nuance and originality and takes too many liberties with its sailing theme. The illustrations, all double-page spreads, show, for the most part, a straight-on perspective that, with the matte quality of the medium, manages to feel chalky and also rather flat. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Earnest, but unoriginal and lackluster. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 26, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-62371-909-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Crocodile/Interlink
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
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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