A visual feast and rhyming text provide read-aloud fun and encouragement for picky eaters.
A little girl and her dragon have different ideas about what’s good to eat in Weaver’s picture book.
Feeding a pet dragon can be quite a challenge, especially if the dragon is prone to fire-breathing—just ask the little girl (who has light-colored skin and blond hair) at the center of this whimsical picture book. Her hungry dragon once “lost complete control,” spat fire, and singed the seat of her pants. “So, now I must be careful and make sure he’s always fed,” she says, “or else I might end up with toasted underwear instead!” But what to fix for a dragon’s lunch? The unnamed girl is sure the dragon’s culinary tastes “are similar to mine,” so she rules out vegetables and casseroles in favor of pizza, a milkshake, and chocolate cake. As the clever, rhyming narrative continues, the proposed dragon menu becomes more outlandish, including frosted tacos, a candy bar sandwich, a chocolate lake, and “mountains made of pancakes.” With a light touch, Weaver wraps this quirky fantasy around a good message for picky eaters; the dragon’s preference for steak and veggies persuades the little girl to give more nutritious foods a try. Soylu’s vivid, idiosyncratic, full-page color illustrations are a delight, complemented by the text layout, which is varied with curves, angles, colors, and quirky lettering.
A visual feast and rhyming text provide read-aloud fun and encouragement for picky eaters.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781736267363
Page Count: 36
Publisher: A Little Offbeat Publishing
Review Posted Online: Feb. 26, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
A charming blend of whimsy and medieval heroism highlighting the triumph of brains over brawn.
A young owl achieves his grand ambition.
Owl, an adorably earnest and gallant little owlet, dreams of being a knight. He imagines himself defeating dragons and winning favor far and wide through his brave exploits. When a record number of knights go missing, Owl applies to Knight School and is surprisingly accepted. He is much smaller than the other knights-in-training, struggles to wield weapons, and has “a habit of nodding off during the day.” Nevertheless, he graduates and is assigned to the Knight Night Watch. While patrolling the castle walls one night, a hungry dragon shows up and Owl must use his wits to avoid meeting a terrible end. The result is both humorous and heartwarming, offering an affirmation of courage and clear thinking no matter one’s size…and demonstrating the power of a midnight snack. The story never directly addresses the question of the missing knights, but it is hinted that they became the dragon’s fodder, leaving readers to question Owl’s decision to befriend the beast. Humor is supplied by the characters’ facial expressions and accented by the fact that Owl is the only animal in his order of big, burly human knights. Denise’s accomplished digital illustrations—many of which are full bleeds—often use a warm sepia palette that evokes a feeling of antiquity, and some spreads feature a pleasing play of chiaroscuro that creates suspense and drama.
A charming blend of whimsy and medieval heroism highlighting the triumph of brains over brawn. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-316-31062-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2022
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