Sweet and pretty for bedtime or naptime—and validating to little ones all the time.
Is the little child who narrates the book too little for any fun?
This gentle tale goes straight to the heart of what upsets so many little ones: missing out on adventures because they are small and young. The beginning double-page spread shows three family members staring out over a full clothesline as the text reads: “This morning, Mama saw a deer. Dad and Sara saw it too.” The narrator missed the sight while struggling to get dressed. The child recounts other examples of recently missed opportunities, then heads outside with a lump of sugar, hoping to lure the deer. Gorgeous, masterful art in MacKay’s characteristic layered dioramas that combine drawn figures with cut, often diaphanous elements accompanies every page of spare but thoughtful text, as the child encounters other signs of nature—but no deer. When the narrator encounters the fawn of the title—“Little like me”—the two greet each other with their eyes before returning home to their respective mothers. The child looks about 3 years old and perhaps too young to be allowed a wilderness wander near protective animal mothers, but the soft and dreamy tone of the art and the text excuses the story from complete realism. The child’s response to Mama’s question at the end gives further empowerment to the child, who looks and listens while someone older reads this aloud. The family is an interracial one, with White-presenting father and Asian-presenting mother. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-16-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Sweet and pretty for bedtime or naptime—and validating to little ones all the time. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7352-6516-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
Animated and educational.
A hare and a ground squirrel banter about the differences between related animals that are often confused for one another.
Jack is “no Flopsy, Mopsy, or Cottontail,” but a “H-A-R-E, hare!” Like sheep and goats, or turtles and tortoises, rabbits and hares may look similar, but hares are bigger, their fur changes color in the winter, and they are born with their eyes wide open. As the ground squirrel (not to be mistaken for a chipmunk (even though Jack cheekily calls it “Chippie”) and Jack engage in playful discussion about animals, a sneaky coyote prowls after them through the Sonoran Desert. This picture book conveys the full narrative in spirited, speech-bubbled dialogue set on expressive illustrations of talking animals. Dark outlines around the characters make their shapes pop against the softly blended colors of the desert backgrounds. Snappy back-and-forth paired with repetition and occasional rhyme enhances the story’s appeal as a read-aloud. As the story progresses, the colors of the sky shift from dawn to dusk, providing subtle, visual bookends for the narrative. One page of backmatter offers a quick guide to eight easily confused pairs, and a second turns a subsequent exploration of the book into a seek-and-find of 15 creatures (and one dessert) hidden in the desert. Unfortunately, while most of the creatures from the seek-and-find appear in poses that match the illustrations in the challenge, not all of them are consistently represented. (This book was reviewed digitally with 7-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 53.3% of actual size.)
Animated and educational. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-358-12506-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Nothing riveting but serviceable enough.
Children are introduced to the concepts of sorting and classifying in this bedtime story.
It is getting close to bedtime, and Marco’s mother asks him to put his toys away. Marco—who thinks of himself as a scientist—corrects her: “You mean time to sort the animals.” And that’s what he proceeds to do. Marco sorts his animals into three baskets labeled “Flying Animals,” “Swimming Animals,” and “Animals That Move on Land,” but the animals will not sleep. So he sorts them by color: “Mostly Brown,” “Black and White,” and “Colors of the Rainbow,” but Zebra is upset to be separated from Giraffe. Next, Marco sorts his animals by size: “Small,” “Medium,” and “Large,” but the big animals are cramped and the small ones feel cold. Finally, Marco ranges them around his bed from biggest to smallest, thus providing them with space to move and helping them to feel safe. Everyone satisfied, they all go to sleep. While the plot is flimsy, the general idea that organizing and classifying can be accomplished in many different ways is clear. Young children are also presented with the concept that different classifications can lead to different results. The illustrations, while static, keep the focus clearly on the sorting taking place. Marco and his mother have brown skin. The backmatter includes an explanation of sorting in science and ideas for further activities.
Nothing riveting but serviceable enough. (Math picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-62354-128-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
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