Perfectly paced, accessible, and appealing, this glimpse into a far-off habitat will entertain young listeners and, perhaps,...
Pushed out of their current territory by human encroachment, a mother tiger and her offspring search for a new home.
The lightly anthropomorphized animals (they express emotions and have the power of speech but otherwise look and behave like real tigers) consider a number of options. Sera, the female cub, offers the first suggestion. Unfortunately, although the cave behind a waterfall is well hidden, it’s too wet. Puli is next to propose an idea, but the tall tree he has them climb is equally unsuitable: “it’s a very long way to fall for a tiger,” observes their mother. Two further possibilities are rejected before the family finds a spot that Mother Tiger deems just right. The conversational tone and familiarly patterned narrative contrast pleasantly with the tangled jungle setting. Weaver’s smudgy charcoal illustrations, digitally colored, are lovely and softly luminous. Warm shades of orange enhance the tigers’ shaggy coats; effective use of white space combined with hues that lean toward yellow and brown effectively evoke the landscape and other animals. The author’s focus on parent-child relationships, evident in her earlier books, Little Whale (2018) and Little One (2016), infuses this tale as well. The explicit focus on the threats created by human activities adds tension and drama. An author’s note includes information about Bengal tigers.
Perfectly paced, accessible, and appealing, this glimpse into a far-off habitat will entertain young listeners and, perhaps, awaken their empathy. (author’s note) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-68263-110-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader!
Fun with friends makes for a great day.
Norbit, a salmon-colored worm with a pink kerchief, joyfully greets the day and everyone he encounters. “Hello, friends! It’s time for fun with the sun! Let’s play!” He and his menagerie of forest pals—including the sun, who grows limbs and descends from the sky—exuberantly engage in various forms of physical activity such as jumping, going down a slide, spinning around, and watching the clouds go by. Young readers will readily relate, as these are games that most children are familiar with. As day turns to night, Norbit says farewell to Sun and welcomes Moon with an invitation to continue the fun. Watkins has created a vivid world of movement and merriment. Her illustrations feature bright bursts of color that match the energy of the text, with most sentences ending in an exclamation point. The author/illustrator incorporates many elements that make for an ideal early-reading experience (despite the use of a contraction or two): art free from clutter, text consisting of words with only one or two syllables, and repetition and recurring bits, such as a continued game of hide-and-seek with Sun. Inspired by never-before-seen sketches from the Dr. Seuss Collection archives at the University of California San Diego, this is the first title for Seuss Studios, a new imprint for original stories from “emerging authors and illustrators” who “honor Seuss’s hallmark spirit of creativity and imagination.”
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader! (author's note) (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780593646212
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Seuss Studios
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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