Hello, sun; hello to a glorious new exploration of nature’s delights for young readers.
Sunshine brings a fresh new beginning.
Rays of sparkling sunshine herald a new day. Resplendent colors light up the landscape, leaves uncurl, opening to catch the sunlight, and diurnal animals, birds, and insects awaken and come out to forage, frolic, and, when necessary, hide from predators. (Some creatures use the occasion to nap.) Greetings, daytime. So long, nighttime! But, for all its shimmering beauty, daytime is fleeting; before you know it, night shadows encroach. Soon, the sun will set, and it will be evening. The stars and moon will emerge, and just like that, it will be time to bid farewell to the sun and daylight. Told in charming, succinct verses that scan very well, this is a most worthy companion to Downing’s Hello, Moon (2021). Text and images meld wonderfully to bring a fresh perspective to what’s going on in nature during the daylight hours. The author/illustrator makes clear that each new day is radiant and full of possibilities. The text features numerous words beginning with S, perhaps paying homage to the word sun. The artwork, created with colored pencil, watercolor, and liquid acrylic, then combined digitally, is dazzling, with brilliant hues leaping from the pages. Children will especially appreciate—and learn from—the various animal activities depicted throughout.
Hello, sun; hello to a glorious new exploration of nature’s delights for young readers. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 16, 2024
ISBN: 9780823452057
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Neal Porter/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2024
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
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers.
Echoing the meter of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” Ward uses catchy original rhymes to describe the variety of nests birds create.
Each sweet stanza is complemented by a factual, engaging description of the nesting habits of each bird. Some of the notes are intriguing, such as the fact that the hummingbird uses flexible spider web to construct its cup-shaped nest so the nest will stretch as the chicks grow. An especially endearing nesting behavior is that of the emperor penguin, who, with unbelievable patience, incubates the egg between his tummy and his feet for up to 60 days. The author clearly feels a mission to impart her extensive knowledge of birds and bird behavior to the very young, and she’s found an appealing and attractive way to accomplish this. The simple rhymes on the left page of each spread, written from the young bird’s perspective, will appeal to younger children, and the notes on the right-hand page of each spread provide more complex factual information that will help parents answer further questions and satisfy the curiosity of older children. Jenkins’ accomplished collage illustrations of common bird species—woodpecker, hummingbird, cowbird, emperor penguin, eagle, owl, wren—as well as exotics, such as flamingoes and hornbills, are characteristically naturalistic and accurate in detail.
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers. (author’s note, further resources) (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-2116-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
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