An action-packed and stirring tale of a heroic young wolf and his comrades facing a murderous pack.
In this middle-grade novel, a distinctive wolf pup and his siblings struggle to survive.
Wolf pup Watcher was born with a bad leg and excellent sight—not just vision, but also an ability to see things differently. Although some packs would have eliminated Three Legs, as Watcher is disparagingly called, his parents, Lord Anorak and Lady Summer, recognize his value and save his life. His littermates are a diverse group—powerful, large Orion seems destined to lead; Windy possesses an otherworldly sense of smell; Glimmer, with a dull snout, inherits enough beauty to carry her along; and Kicker, also a runt like Watcher, copes with his crippling jealousy of his two brothers. When tragedy strikes and the Lone Rock Pack, led by the evil Bone, annihilates their parents and the rest of their Gray Woods Pack, the siblings must go on the run. Still pups and supposedly hampered by Watcher’s weakness, the remainder of the Gray Woods Pack seems destined for failure. As the band encounters hazard after hazard and more misfortune in its desperate attempts to flee the malevolent Bone, Watcher realizes that the only way to save his siblings and the other wolves who have joined them is to set Orion free. And that means challenging Orion for pack leadership. Some adults may scoff at wolves as main characters, but most children love anthropomorphic books. Although Raney (Jim Morgan and the King of Thieves, 2016, etc.) delivers plenty of suspense, his tale centers on sibling love and devotion. Watcher and Kicker heal their relationship through a near tragedy, strengthening both the pack and their litter. The siblings extend their strong sense of familial loyalty to the weaker remnants of the pack, risking their own lives to prevent the loss of any cohorts. While intended for a middle-grade audience, sensitive younger readers may find much of the storyline upsetting. But those who can handle some violence and sorrow should be enriched by this heartwarming saga and hope for a sequel.
An action-packed and stirring tale of a heroic young wolf and his comrades facing a murderous pack.Pub Date: Oct. 26, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5391-6068-7
Page Count: 256
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Dec. 16, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come.
Little Blue Truck and his pal Toad meet friends old and new on a springtime drive through the country.
This lift-the-flap, interactive entry in the popular Little Blue Truck series lacks the narrative strength and valuable life lessons of the original Little Blue Truck (2008) and its sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way (2009). Both of those books, published for preschoolers rather than toddlers, featured rich storylines, dramatic, kinetic illustrations, and simple but valuable life lessons—the folly of taking oneself too seriously, the importance of friends, and the virtue of taking turns, for example. At about half the length and with half as much text as the aforementioned titles, this volume is a much quicker read. Less a story than a vernal celebration, the book depicts a bucolic drive through farmland and encounters with various animals and their young along the way. Beautifully rendered two-page tableaux teem with butterflies, blossoms, and vibrant pastel, springtime colors. Little Blue greets a sheep standing in the door of a barn: “Yoo-hoo, Sheep! / Beep-beep! / What’s new?” Folding back the durable, card-stock flap reveals the barn’s interior and an adorable set of twin lambs. Encounters with a duck and nine ducklings, a cow with a calf, a pig with 10 (!) piglets, a family of bunnies, and a chicken with a freshly hatched chick provide ample opportunity for counting and vocabulary work.
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-544-93809-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
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