A relatable canine protagonist, mild action, and a well-crafted message of compassionate animal advocacy.
A shelter dog takes matters into her own paws and finds the perfect home.
In this illustrated book for grade-school readers by photographer, writer, and animal advocate Blake, a German shepherd pup, the smallest in her litter, yearns for a loving home. But for one reason or another, her adoptions from a Florida shelter keep falling through, earning her the name Gypsy from shelter caretakers “since she couldn’t seem to settle in one place.” (A side note: The author’s well-meaning usage of gypsy here is clear; however, the word has increasingly been dropped from public usage due to its historic application as a pejorative for the Roma people.) When Gypsy is finally adopted, the circumstances are unhappy. She is tied up outside in the hot sun all day, an unloved watchdog. Gypsy escapes, ending up on an ocean pier where anglers dock their boats. A young man named Charlie spots the hungry pup, and before giving her a sandwich, offers his hand to sniff. Gypsy’s reaction is one of several simple, evocative passages that deepen the narrative: “He had a nice smell. It was clean and honest, like the sea.” Gypsy later repays Charlie’s kindness. Between two nicely calibrated action sequences, the author underscores Charlie’s compassionate nature when, during Gypsy’s first boat ride, he gently calms her initial anxiety, letting her know that she can trust him to keep her safe. When Charlie anchors the boat at an island, readers are offered a memorable word picture of “twisted roots of mangrove trees spread into the water, like the fingers of ancient wizards.” The author’s scene-setting and clearly defined characters are adeptly reflected in colorful images by veteran children’s author/illustrator Dey, with the appealing rendering of the German shepherd pup at their center.
A relatable canine protagonist, mild action, and a well-crafted message of compassionate animal advocacy.Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-57-886306-1
Page Count: 38
Publisher: Malakie Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 10, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Turkey’s in the “kind of trouble where it’s almost Thanksgiving...and you’re the main course.” Accordingly, Turkey tries on disguise after disguise, from horse to cow to pig to sheep, at each iteration being told that he looks nothing like the animal he’s trying to mimic (which is quite true, as Harper’s quirky watercolors make crystal clear). He desperately squeezes a red rubber glove onto his head to pass as a rooster, only to overhear the farmer suggest a poultry plan B when he’s unable to turn up the turkey. Turkey’s horrified expression as he stands among the peppers and tomatoes—in November? Chalk it up to artistic license—is priceless, but his surroundings give him an idea. Good fun, but it may lead to a vegetarian table or two. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-7614-5529-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2009
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BOOK REVIEW
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