A compelling, joyous, informative romp that captures the craftiness and effervescence of corvids.
A clever young crow loves to cause trouble.
Today, Crow leaves his nest primed to raise a ruckus. He steals and hides shiny objects, dive-bombs songbirds to disrupt their baths, and taunts a dog into playing chase: “Crick, crack, run! The chase has begun.” Crow’s trouble is all in good fun, though, until he tires of it and tips closer to danger—like when he flies in front of a car (“Crick, crack scoot. Honk, honk, toot!”) or when he gets trapped in a dark barn: “Crick, crack, fear. What’s in here?” The repetition of “Crick, crack” punctuates the scenes as the danger escalates, providing a soothing rhythm even when Crow must reckon with a menacing hawk: “Crick, crack, attack. Don’t turn back.” Crows, known for being problem-solvers and using their beaks as tools—behaviors that are on full display in the story—know how to have fun, but they also know when to band together, which they do in a dramatic conclusion. Lord’s lyrical writing and pacing make for an edge-of-your-seat journey, while Paschkis’ lively, folk-inspired illustrations bring humor and emotional resonance—and gorgeous endpapers suffused with crow silhouettes.
A compelling, joyous, informative romp that captures the craftiness and effervescence of corvids. (crow facts, scientific names, book recommendations for young and old readers, websites) (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781682636299
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Margaret Quinlin Books/Peachtree
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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